The purpose of this project is to build a long distance UAV capable of scanning remote terrain for missing persons. The software we’re creating will take a last known coordinate, several specifics about the missing person, and create a search area depending on the local terrain specifics. The program will generate flight path waypoints within the performance envelope of our UAV and initiate the flight. As the drone flies it will use thermal imaging and digital cameras to tag coordinates that could potentially be the missing person. Once the data has been analyzed by the onboard computer, the search area will be modified accordingly to increase accuracy until the person is located. One key aspect has been the integration of solar panels so the UAV can stay in the search area permanently.

The innovation that drives our project is trying to change the way conventional search and rescue operations are done in the wilderness. Helicopters, planes, and employees are all currently used to search for missing people in national parks or remote areas, all at great cost to the agency funding the search. Creating a system that can operate inexhaustibly for years with a much smaller cost than one hour of helicopter fuel would dramatically alter the landscape of search and rescue. The utilization of solar panels allows the UAV to land and recharge without any human interaction, allowing it to be truly independent.