Help from above: Rescue drones compete in German contest

Autonomous drones can navigate without GPS, search for missing persons and make decisions on their own. In Germany, developers competed to see which drone was the best rescuer.

BusinessGermany

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BusinessGermanyhttps://p.dw.com/p/5PGAV

Autonomous drones could soon transform search and rescue operations, helping locate missing people, deliver medical supplies and navigate hazardous environments where human access is difficult or impossible. At a technology competition hosted by Germany’s Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (SPRIND), research teams and drone startups tested cutting-edge AI, lidar sensors and GPS-independent navigation systems in a race against time.

The challenge: Identify and locate a person in a complex outdoor environment while overcoming distractions and real-world obstacles. From self-directed flight paths to advanced computer vision and autonomous decision-making, the competing drones showcase how robotics and artificial intelligence are reshaping emergency response technology.

One team emerged victorious with a system that could soon enter the market, highlighting the growing role of autonomous drones in disaster response, search-and-rescue missions and future public safety operations.

This video summary was created by AI from the original DW script. It was edited by a journalist before publication.

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