RTS Labs, an Iranian research firm, has started work on a
drone lifeguard. Tired of hearing stories about people drowning in the Caspian Sea, the researchers sought out a way to improve
water rescue. Drones can help in several ways humans can't - they can move
faster over choppy seas, they always remain calm, and a drone will never fall
asleep on the job. Iran
has an unusually high rate of unintentional drownings compared with European
countries. A robot that helps lifeguards save lives faster could presumably
lower that rate.
The Pars Aerial Rescue Robot is designed to work as a mobile lifesaver
dispensary, flying out to those in need and dropping vital flotation aids until
better help can be secured. As currently designed, Pars starts with a
quadrotor, which makes sense: quadrotors are versatile platforms, beloved by
scientists because the machines can do things like test eagle arms and
kinect-based navigation. Quadrotors are also relatively strong. That means
Pars wouldn't have any trouble carrying life preservers as well as a
sophisticated navigation software and infrared cameras.
In its current iteration, Pars carries up to three life
preservers; in future iterations, it could carry as many as 15, the researchers
say. To fit that many life preservers on a drone without the whole thing
looking like a precarious stack of Oreos, researchers want Pars to carry
self-inflating life preservers that use chemical materials to bloat. Pars would
also be able to land on water and float until a rescue vessel picks it up.
Research and development for Pars is in the very early stages, but the promise
is there. After news emerged that Iran's
fancy new vertical takeoff and landing drone was nothing more than a bad
Photoshop job, it would be great if the most popular drone out of Iran were one
that saves lives.Source : http://www.nexpected.com
No comments:
Post a Comment