A combination of infrared imaging, thermal imaging, and an uncrewed drone’s color camera, along with an AI system to interpret the data, can help emergency responders and search and rescue teams. Identify, locate and track people Those lost in the wilderness. The test system helps responders pinpoint where a missing person is and determine if they are injured or even alive.
Those who get lost or injured while exploring nature may be stranded for the day. Rescue teams often use drones to locate individuals or traces of their location. Small drones are my colleagues and i constructed my lab At Kennesaw State University flies autonomously using a grid search pattern. It sends live video and images to a ground station manned by rescue teams.
When the AI system finds a person, it analyzes the image to determine whether the person is standing or lying on the ground. It divides the person’s body parts, locates the person’s head and body position. It is then blank on the forehead. It extracts the forehead temperature reading, pixel by pixel, from the imaging data to estimate the forehead temperature. We have two papers detailing these findings accepted for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aviation Forum 2026 conference
Our AI model then assesses whether the person is conscious or unconscious and identifies abnormal temperatures that could indicate heat stress, hypothermia or other physical complications or death – all important information for search and rescue teams.
In the field trials we conducted, the system provided consistent temperature readings to the heads of our research team’s volunteers who walked in different conditions, in different environments.
Why is it important?
Getting accurate and timely information is important Locating a missing person. A person’s chances of survival decrease sharply over time.
An AI-enhanced drone can make search-and-rescue operations significantly more efficient than sending teams of people to search the environment on foot, especially in bad weather or under dense foliage. Rescuers who know whether a person is conscious or unconscious can also be better prepared for what they need to do to recover and administer aid to that person. Our technology can save lives.
What else is being researched?
Search and rescue workers use a variety of drones, but the machines often lack the ability to positively identify people, especially under dense foliage, in bad weather, or when the person is lying down or unconscious. The AI-based technology we have developed overcomes those challenges.
Good sensors that are very light, that can function at night or in the rain, and can see more clearly through thick foliage which can improve our drones and drones used by others. Researchers have used AI-powered sound recognition to detect cries for help, advanced thermal imaging for improved night vision and Autonomous drones That may act as a first response.
Also under development are drones that can carry heavy payloads, such as flotation devices, fly for up to 14 hours or perform real-time mapping of the subsoil.
what next
one of us Next step Multiple drones must fly together and autonomously coordinate search and rescue operations among themselves. This would allow the technology to cover much larger areas, perhaps hundreds of square miles.
We are also designing a larger drone that can carry a payload of up to 110 pounds (50 kilograms) and stay aloft for an hour.
D Research brief A brief take on interesting academic work.
Adil KhalidProfessor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Kennesaw State University
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