Infrared Camera Aboard The Small UAV Finds Him In A Remote Wooded Area

Score one for the small UAVs. A man from Saskatchewan who had wrecked his car and wandered away from the accident scene into the woods at night was located by the RCMP using a small UAV equipped with an infrared camera.

The accident happened near Saskatoon, Canada Thursday. The 25-year-old driver rolled his vehicle and reportedly suffered a head injury, according to a report from Toronto's Global News. The RCMP arrived at the accident scene about midnight, but the driver was nowhere to be found.

The driver eventually called 911, saying he was lost, cold, and barefoot. The GPS on his phone gave them a vague idea where he might be located. A full-size helicopter with a searchlight and night-vision equipment flew to the area, but they were unable to locate the driver.

The next tactic was to fly in a four-pound Draganflyer X4-ES quadcopter equipped with an infrared camera. RCMP Corporal Doug Green said that he put the aircraft in hover mode and did a slow 360 degree search of the area. The camera picked up three heat signatures during that rotation, one of which turned out to be the missing driver.

The driver was found and taken to a local hospital where he was treated for exposure and hypothermia. Green said that if they had not had the UAV available, they likely would not have found him before he died.  The RCMP has had the UAV for about a year and a half, Green said, and this was the first time it had been used to find a missing person.

(Image from RCMP YouTube video)

FMI: www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca