This innovative approach to water rescue came about when microdrones recognized the potentially life-saving use for their technology and decided to develop the tactic in collaboration with the DLRG Horneburg (a German lifeguard association) and RESTUBE, the award-winning makers of compact flotation devices. Together, the international UAV company, the DLRG, and RESTUBE recently simulated a mission to rescue a drowning swimmer in the Elbe River. Crowds present that day watched in awe as the drone delivered the flotation device to the struggling victim. Now that microdrones has released video footage of the event, viewers worldwide can witness this incredible feat, too. How drones help solve critical water rescue problems With this innovative new approach to water rescue, microdrones has overcome two key challenges lifeguards face: lack of time and victim panic. An adult is able to struggle on the surface of the water for an average of only one minute before drowning and a child drowns in less than 30 seconds.

Often, lifeguards are not able to reach the swimmer in that brief timeframe. With a drone, the lifeguard team is able to fly straight over the water to deliver a flotation device, buying the traditional lifeguard additional time to reach the victim. Under normal circumstances, when the lifeguard arrives at the swimmer, they encounter a dangerous situation: a victim in the throes of an instinctive drowning response. A panicking victim will instinctively clutch and push up on anything that comes near them, including a rescuer. AVIR Syndrome (Aquatic Victim Instead of Rescuer Syndrome) refers to the unintentional drowning of a rescuer by the panicking victim they are attempting to save. Lifeguards carry flotation devices to rescues for this reason. If the victim is able to remain calm, the rescue is far less complicated and dangerous – and much more likely to succeed. Drone-assisted water rescue helps the victim to be calmer for the actual rescue because they are able to float using the device delivered by the drone.

"After seeing what I saw today, I have no doubt that drones will play a significant role in the near future of water rescue – and that we'll see less fatalities as result," said Robert Rink from the DLRG Horneburg. Water rescue requires specialized drones and other equipment Drone-assisted water rescue requires specially developed equipment that can rise to the challenges often present in aquatic environments. The drone used in this rescue simulation was the microdrones md4-1000. This quadcopter is highly effective for water rescue because it has uniquely designed motors, rugged carbon fiber housing, highly efficient batteries, and an integrated GPS system. These features allow the UAV to fly and stay in position in strong winds over the water. md4-1000 was also equipped with an imaging camera that streamed live to the lifeguard operating the drone, allowing them to easily see the precise location to drop the flotation device. "We are so proud to be able to share this life-saving application with the world," said Sven Juerss, CEO of microdrones.

"It is our hope that decision-makers at lifeguarding organizations, cruise lines, and other aquatic operations will view the video and be empowered to use technology to save lives. We want to raise awareness of the vast life-saving potential of unmanned aerial vehicles." microdrones was founded in Germany in 2005, with the launch of groundbreaking and reliable unmanned aerial vehicles. As the pioneer of quadcopter drones for commercial applications, a heritage of German engineering is evident in the quality of every solution they create.parrot ar drone euronics By integrating the most capable and dependable UAS platform with the latest sensor, photogrammetry, photography, and data interpretation technology, microdrones has helped companies all over the world to make better business decisions. parrot ar drone frys

With successful implementation of UAVs for professional applications in Europe, Asia, Russia, and North America, microdrones is a global leader in the commercial space. The newly expanded company is positioned to serve new geographic and vertical markets and welcomes questions from any organization that aims to collect and interpret data more accurately and efficiently.Quadrotor UAV / aerial photography / inspection / carbon fiber carbon fiber, lightweight, micro The microdrones md4-200 UAV is a miniaturised VTOL aircraft (Vertical Take Off and Landing). macdev drone dx ukIt can fly by remote control or automatically using our GPS Waypoint navigation software.parrot ar drone torino The md4-200 aerial vehicle consists of a carbon fibre body, boasts a flying time of 30 minutes and can carry a load of up to 250 g. Rain, snow and dust pose no particular problem for microdrones UAVs.parrot ar drone gamestop

The ultra-lightweight robust and weather–resistant carbon fibre body enables the md4-200 to reach an operating height of up to 1000 metres - ideal for aerial photography and aerial inspections. Seeking an alternative way to inspect their photovoltaic (PV) fields, independent renewable-energy producer Akuo Energy turned to one of the newest methods now available: drone inspection… French renewable-energy producer Akuo Energy, hoping to increase detection of damage and hotspots in their solar panels, hired aerial surveillance company Air-Marine to evaluate the efficiency of their solar fields.parrot ar drone simulink Regular inspection of the photovoltaic panels ensures that any defects with the potential to cause a reduction in solar power yield are quickly found and repaired. The solar farm chosen by Akuo is located in France and stretches over 330 hectares of land, with an installed power capacity of 24 megawatts produced by more than 75,000 solar modules.

In order to inspect a large surface area like this solar field, a drone needs to be highly reliable and be able to fly relatively long periods of time without stopping or running out of battery. For this project, a Microdrones MD4-1000 vertical takeoff and landing drone was chosen, with a flight time of up to 88 minutes and payload of 1.2 kilos. Images from the Sony Alpha 7 (370) were processed in Pix4Dmapper Pro, along with five fixed ground control points (GCPs) at 2 cm accuracy, to produce a georeferenced true orthomosaic of the solar field at 3 cm GSD. The orthomosaic was then digitized to create vector drawings (shapefiles) of the solar panels, which served as a base map for the final report. Advantage of the New Technology Akuo had previously been inspecting their solar panels individually, using a handheld infrared camera. For each annual inspection, this took two employees around four days of work: walking through the farm and capturing an image of each panel.