Nowadays we often hear the word drone. The use of drones is often associated with military or police action, but the potential uses are increasing significantly. Used by real estate agents, the electric company, farmers, film production companies and now Homeland Security is taking a close look at using it to help first responders.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate is leading efforts to develop a new system that could help first responders save lives without endangering their own. The program, called Remote and Rapid Rescue Capability (3RC), is working to incorporate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ground vehicles (UGVs) into day-to-day rescue operations. One area that emergency responders have indicated is their top priority, safety.
As prices drop and functionality increases, UAVs and UGVs (that’s where the common name drone comes in) are becoming a staple for emergency response. The Department of Science and Technology of Homeland Security is working with industry partner Robotic Research to harness the technology for first responders.
Their collaboration on project and development focuses on creating an integrated system of autonomous ground and air vehicles that can independently or collectively provide logistical support, search and rescue capabilities, and more. You’ve probably seen or heard of drones like this being used to deliver automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to a location where cardiac arrest has occurred.
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Once fully developed, the system will also allow responders to provide emergency assistance and communicate with civilians in high-risk locations. For example, think of the hikers in a gorge or the search for a lost child.
The system itself is being developed as part of the Remote and Rapid Rescue Plan and is called, to give it a name, the Transformable Marsupial Robotic Rescue System. (TraMRRS for short) The system will utilize Robotic Research’s Pegasus Transformable Air-Ground Robotic System, which can fly and move over the ground.
It will also be able to connect to other Pegasuses via artificial intelligence to autonomously coordinate searches. AI has been in the news lately as it is becoming increasingly integrated into our lives.
To explain artificial intelligence in everyday life, think of Apple’s Siri, Google Now, Amazon’s Alexa or Microsoft’s Cortana. These are digital assistants that help users to perform various tasks. This can be checking a schedule, searching for something on the internet, or sending commands to another app, e.g. B. setting timers on devices.
New career opportunities are emerging from these new and expanding uses of technology. Drone pilots are used in many of these above applications. So if you have this gamer in your household, you might have a future drone pilot in the making right now.
Debbie Kulick writes a weekly column for Pocono Record and Tri-County Independent. She is serving as an EMT on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
