By Terese Manley

Imagine getting a call for a search and rescue effort to locate a presumed missing hiker whose car was found at the trailhead parking lot. The area to search involves a dense forest where the landscape’s topography is notorious for blocking cellular service. The sun is setting, and you need to find the hiker before temperatures drop much further.

Your team deploys to the scene, but instead of setting out on foot in multiple directions, you launch an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS), aka drone, equipped with a thermal camera and image detection software to quickly scan the five-mile radius looking for hot spots or humans. The UAS quickly locates the hiker and, with the help of navigation antennas and geolocation sensors, you set out on foot to their exact location. As you make your way through the wooded area, you use the drone’s two-way radio to speak with the hiker as the drone hovers above them. This rescue operation occurs quickly, at a nominal cost and with minimal resources dispatched.

This scenario is just one example of what researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) division are investigating in their efforts to support public safety through the application of UAS programs.

Then and now

First responders have utilized uncrewed aerial vehicles since 2005, when drones helped assess damage and locate survivors in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Since then, the use of drones in similar scenarios has increased substantially. Industry advancements have also shaped UAS applications by supporting the creation of state-of-the-art hardware and software to support heavier drones and incorporating integrated sensors to perform specialized tasks such as delivery of medical supplies, de-escalation or post-incident mapping.

Today’s research at PSCR evaluates all applications that have the potential to enhance UAS tools for public safety agencies, primarily focusing on ease-of-use, reliability, cost effectiveness and long endurance. Design tradeoffs to support these requirements for small UAS (under 55 pounds) represent the basis of much research.

Identifying gaps and limitations

UAS are positively impacting many aspects of society, however, these systems are not without their limitations and can pose obstacles for their integration by public safety organizations. Consider, for example, the navigation of the drone through the command and control system, where a pilot’s main focus lies on controlling the aircraft. Advancements in technology would allow the drone pilot to focus more of their attention on the mission and less on aircraft control, reducing the burden placed upon the drone operator. Advancements in autonomous flying and other forms of artificial intelligence (AI) may improve response times and make aerial drones a more effective tool, given the active coordination required during an evolving incident. Added to the mix are crucial technologies and sensors being used in other industries that are now being retrofit for public safety. Some of these technologies are in the testing and prototype stages or limited for practical use due to current regulatory constraints.

Understanding the tradeoffs between new UAS capabilities versus the impact to weight or cost will drive innovation and, as industry competes to serve a broad customer base, public safety can benefit from affordable and effective solutions that meet agency budgets.

Beyond technological limitations (where PSCR focuses most of its efforts), flight operations can be limited by human resources. Drone operations require one pilot and sometimes a second person as a visual observer for long-distance flights, decreasing response capacity when every person on scene is a valuable resource and every second counts. Social, economic, regulatory and geopolitical factors can create other barriers to entry for a UAS program, making it difficult for public safety use.

Crowdsourcing and open innovation research

To address some of these gaps, researchers at PSCR have used market research and working groups to uncover use cases for tactical operations and define unsolved research areas.

One relatively new method used to engage researchers and small businesses globally is the Prize Challenge, a mechanism whereby innovators compete to rapidly create solutions in a set timeframe where UAS metrics are clearly defined. The outcome of this research approach and the results of the problem statement not only bring awareness to the unique needs of public safety, but also lead to UAS prototypes that can be further developed and tested with PSCR’s first responder partners.

One recent example of this research approach was the First Responder UAS 3D Mapping Challenge, which asked competitors to design and build a cost-effective UAS solution with real-time 3D mapping capabilities. The use case included flying a UAS indoors for a search and rescue operation to locate a missing person(s) and life-threatening obstacles in a low-light and GPS-denied environment. Teams maintained costs below $20,000 when evaluating design tradeoffs to accomplish their goals.

Some of the final prototypes included light-emitting diode illumination, night vision or infrared cameras. The winning solution combined fixed LiDAR and 3D stereoscopic cameras providing a quality map in a specified flight time. Other solutions included new techniques used to provide flight stability, autopilot, and position-hold along with protective frames and propeller guards for avoiding indoor hazards. Some solutions improved signal propagation extending communication within the environment and incorporated a 360-degree camera for improved visual acuity.

Another challenge supporting outdoor search and rescue operations was the First Responder UAS Triple Challenge, which comprised three separate prize events. Each competition served as an individualized research project to improve drone hardware, cybersecurity methods and integrated sensors. Drone enthusiasts in these challenges competed in head-to-head flight contests where their designs were evaluated by first responders for emergency response time and effectiveness.

Solutions in the first challenge developed enhanced computer vision and navigation techniques using data analytics with machine learning (ML) and AI. The second challenge offered solutions for extending broadband communications in a cellular-denied area where the UAS carried a network system, directional antennas, or using protocols such as Wi-Fi to offer continuous connectivity. The third challenge focused on cybersecurity threats using software-based attacks to disrupt drone navigation and then develop countermeasures to defend against such threats. In all these solutions, teams of innovators demonstrated UAS solutions that could easily and cost-effectively be implemented by public safety.

Earlier studies by PSCR dating back to 2019 evaluated flight time versus payload and the design tradeoffs necessary for a small UAS carrying a simulated network cellular device under 55 pounds, supporting a use case enabling first responders with enhanced communications in cellular-denied environments.

What’s next

These are just a few examples of PSCR’s research through innovation. As aerial drones are further developed, there is high potential to see improvements in autonomous navigation, flight times, cost savings and overall public safety mission efficiencies. Still, some technological changes will be based on the regulatory landscape or federal requirements, and PSCR will assist by aligning first responders’ interests and industry advancements.

Much can be learned from other industries, as well. For example, autonomous ground vehicles may inform detect-and-avoid functionality for flight operations and lend new ideas about human-machine interactions for first responders. Understanding the risks of connecting data captured by UAS to public safety’s IT infrastructure demands more attention, as well as the management of AI, cybersecurity and other emerging concerns. But, having a purpose-built UAS to help find persons faster, expand consistent broadband connectivity or improve indoor mapping has the potential to save lives and assets. For these reasons, PSCR will continue to drive research to advance UAS for public safety.

The UAS program at NIST PSCR will focus on science and measurements while striving to help small businesses commercialize their UAS products for first responders. The success of our program depends on engaging stakeholders and expanding our public safety partnerships in order to provide insights to researchers and provide operational guidance, now and in the future.

Please consider joining our efforts and engaging with our team. Email NIST representatives here. Learn more about NIST PSCR, the UAS Portfolio and challenge winners on the PSCR website.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Terese Manley is the UAS portfolio lead at the NIST Public Safety Communications Research division. In this role, Manley manages internal and external research to enhance public safety UAS programs as it relates to emerging technologies. She engages external researchers and working groups, including federal agencies, state/local first responders, industry experts and academia, with the goal of advancing UAS technology and U.S. economic development. Manley holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder.