Man Overboard: Drone Rescue System

Veleria San Giorgio, Human Drone Team and the University of Sant’Anna created the Drone Rescue System to help find crewmembers overboard and deliver potentially lifesaving equipment to them. Each system carries a stabilized 4K daylight camera. Owners can add a stabilized thermal-imaging camera for nighttime. The system shares its real-time position (read: above the person overboard) with its operator. Each system is also equipped with a VSG-built personal flotation device, a personal locator beacon and a handheld VHF radio that lower to the person overboard via a pulley system.

One of the challenges was finding a commercially available drone that is easy to obtain, has good support, and can handle adverse climates and meteorological events. The solution was Human Drone Team’s partnership with SwellPro, which builds IP67-rated drones that can take off and land in water.

What It Can Do Now, and Next

Each Drone Rescue System carries a minimum payload of 4.4 pounds in up to 27 knots of wind. Operators can launch it in about three minutes, and can land the drone in the water and retrieve it rather than having to catch it out of the air. The group is also developing AI technology that could let the drone autonomously or semi-autonomously locate a crewmember who has gone overboard.

Take the next step: veleriasangiorgio.com

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