WASHINGTON — There’s been a lot of discussion about the negative uses for drones. But one plan emphasizes the positive, like finding missing persons.
Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin announced last month that it is teaming up with Project Lifesaver International and Loen Engineering, Inc., to create of version of one of its drones dedicated to rescue missions.
“Using the Project Lifesaver location device with aviation assets will extend search areas from approximately one and a half miles to well over seven miles,” Gene Saunders, chief executive officer and founder of Project Lifesaver International, said in a news release.
“Integrating Lockheed Martin’s Indago with the Project Lifesaver capability is a game changer for Project Lifesaver agencies because it offers an affordable alternative to manned aviation assets and can be used by any first responder agency,” said Saunders.
The drone would be five pounds and collapsible, which would allow it to be stored easily in squad cars and deployed quickly.
“Indago’s ability to provide an eye-in-the-sky in just minutes enables first responders to increase their effectiveness in locating wandering persons and reuniting them with their families,” Dave Pringle, general manager of Lockheed Martin Procerus Technologies, said in a news release.
Project Lifesaver’s previous technology has equipped people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and other mental issues with a personal transmitter, which has already helped nearly 3,000 people be located within an average 30-minute time frame. However, the added range with Indago can help even more people, Pringle says.
“This partnership opens the aperture for unmanned systems to be used in critical search and rescue situations that aid public safety agencies with the important humanitarian mission targeting high-risk individuals,” he said in the release.
WTOP’s Allison Keyes contributed to this report.
