Introduction and Project Summary

Through this project, we aim to reduce the inefficiency and cost of search and rescue operations that involve locating people in a large landscape. Traditional search efforts can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, often requiring large teams and expensive equipment/vehicles such as helicopters or boats. Our project aims to address this by developing an autonomous drone-based solution capable of processing live video, using machine learning to detect people accurately, and transmitting precise GPS coordinates back to the rescue teams.

The scope of our project includes designing and implementing the drone’s flight system, building a machine-learning algorithm to identify people, acquiring GPS coordinates, and being capable of performing these tasks at a high frequency.