Search and rescue missions are often time-sensitive and have a lot of unknown obstacles. Thermal imaging drones have become an indispensable tool in modern search and rescue operations with their excellent thermal detection capabilities. This article will explore the advantages and application scenarios of thermal imaging drones in rainy night search and rescue.
Why do you need thermal imaging search and rescue drones?
Thermal imaging drones use infrared imaging technology to detect and record the heat emitted by objects to generate thermal images. Visible light camera drones must rely on a large amount of ambient visible light to capture images. For conditions with insufficient light or limited vision, drones are limited in their effectiveness.
Are thermal imaging drones better for search and rescue at night?
Weather conditions are an important factor affecting search and rescue operations. Dust, smoke, cloudy nights, rain, and fog will make search and rescue more difficult, and thermal imaging drones overcome this difficulty. Thermal imaging drones can penetrate haze and rain to ensure that they can still work effectively in low-visibility environments.
Thermal imaging drones can clearly identify the heat signals of organisms and provide search and rescue personnel with a variety of color view displays. Rescuers can quickly lock onto targets that need to be rescued, speeding up efficiency. When the IP protection level of the drone is high enough, night search and rescue operations can also be carried out on rainy days.
Challenges of search and rescue on rainy nights
Search and rescue operations face the following challenges under rainy night conditions:
- Low visibility: Rain and darkness make it difficult for traditional optical equipment to function.
- Environmental interference: Rain may cause ground reflection and increased humidity, affecting the effectiveness of sensors.
- Search and rescue time is tight: In severe weather conditions, the time for search and rescue missions is often more urgent, and trapped people need to be located quickly.
Advantages of thermal imaging drones in search and rescue operations
1. All-weather operation capability
Thermal imaging drones are important commercial drones with a certain level of protection and wind resistance, and can conduct repeated large-scale search and inspection in complex areas.
2. Efficient search
Thermal imaging technology can quickly identify the heat source of trapped people or organisms, significantly improving search efficiency, especially in large areas.
3. Reduce risks
The use of drones reduces the exposure of human resources to dangerous environments and reduces the risks of search and rescue personnel, especially in high-risk areas such as floods or landslides.
4. Real-time data transmission
Modern thermal imaging drones can transmit real-time video and thermal imaging data to the command center, helping commanders make timely decisions and improve search and rescue efficiency.
How do thermal imaging drones help search and rescue operations?
1. Mountain search and rescue
In mountainous areas, search and rescue on rainy nights face complex terrain and visibility issues. Some mountaineering enthusiasts tend to get lost at night, and thermal imaging drones can quickly search the hillside and identify people trapped due to slipping or getting lost.
2. Water rescue
In floods or heavy rains, thermal imaging drones can quickly determine the heat source under the water surface and help rescue teams quickly locate the trapped.
3. Urban rescue
In the complex environment of the city at night, thermal imaging drones can effectively search hidden areas such as urban parks, abandoned buildings, and seaside parks, increasing the success rate of search and rescue.
The most suitable drone for search and rescue operations on rainy nights
Thermal imaging drones speed up the efficiency of search and rescue operations for police departments, fire departments, and emergency response. Their high resolution and thermal sensors can provide real-time data, which is crucial for finding missing persons or survivors.
Skydio, DJI, and Autel Robotics are leading thermal imaging drone manufacturers with some well-known thermal imaging drone models that can be used to assist in search and rescue operations.
Skydio X2 | Search and Rescue Drone
The Skydio X2 drone has excellent autonomy and obstacle avoidance capabilities, providing unparalleled aerial situational awareness in search and rescue operations.
The Skydio X2 has a rugged foldable body, GPS-based night flight, visible and infrared wavelength strobe lights, 360° obstacle avoidance, autonomous tracking, flight up to 35 minutes, and a flight distance of up to 6 kilometers, making it an excellent choice for businesses and first responders.
The Skydio X2 Color/Thermal Imager is equipped with a 12MP, 4K60P HDR visible light camera, a FLIR® Boson 320 x 256 infrared camera, and thermal imaging images that support zoom viewing, making it ideal for situational awareness at longer distances.
Thermal imaging is so effective and reliable that the Skydio X2 Color/Thermal has a high starting price of $10,999.
Autel Robotics EVO Max 4T | Search and Rescue Drone
Autel Robotics EVO MAX 4T Rugged Bundle
$8999.00 USD
The Autel Robotics EVO Max 4T drone is a powerful autonomous drone with a range of advanced features, making it ideal for search and rescue missions.
The Autel EVO MAX series includes the EVO MAX 4T and EVO MAX 4N as well as the EVO MAX 4TXE. The MAX 4T focuses on zoom, while the MAX 4N focuses on starlight night vision. Both support thermal imaging.
The EVO Max 4T supports 8K 10X optical zoom, up to 160x hybrid zoom, and the thermal imaging sensor supports 640 x 512 pixel resolution and 16x digital zoom. It can detect heat sources within a range of 1.2 kilometers, both in daylight and in the dark.
The EVO Max 4T has a flight time of 42 minutes and a transmission range of nearly 20 kilometers. The drone supports anti-interference, IP43 protection level, and can form a drone network with multiple drones to collaborate on search and rescue missions.
Autel Robotics EVO Max 4T is perfect and currently priced at $8,999. Autel Robotics also has a classic thermal imaging drone, Autel EVO II 640T V3, which is priced at only $4,799 and offers 640*512 thermal imaging resolution, 10 thermal color palettes, and 16x zoom.
DJI Matrice 30T | Search and Rescue Drone
The DJI Matrice 30T (M30T) is also one of the best drones for search and rescue. The DJI M30T has a powerful camera sensor, long flight time capability, long-distance transmission, strong weather resistance, etc., which can detect and locate targets in harsh weather conditions and challenging environments.
The DJI M30T is equipped with a 1/2-inch CMOS sensor zoom camera with an optical zoom of 5x to 16x and a digital zoom of 200x. In addition, it is equipped with a 12 megapixel wide-angle camera, 8k photo 4K/30 fps video resolution. The thermal imaging camera has a resolution of 640×512 and can detect heat signals as low as -4° to 302° F at a long distance.
DJI M30T can fly for up to 41 minutes, has a range of up to 6 miles, supports IP55 protection level, and is currently priced at $13,999.00.
Thermal imaging drones fully detect heat signals, detect and identify temperature anomalies, and capture high-resolution images and videos, making them an indispensable and important tool in search and rescue operations. These three thermal imaging search and rescue drones are fully suitable for rescue teams that require the highest level of search and rescue performance and capabilities.
Conclusion
Thermal imaging drones have shown strong advantages in rainy night search and rescue. With their all-weather operation capabilities and efficient search capabilities, they have significantly improved the success rate of search and rescue missions. With the continuous advancement of technology, thermal imaging drones will play an important role in more fields and protect life safety.
