Wroclaw scientists develop system for finding missing persons

Scientists from the University of Wroclaw have developed a system called SARUAV, which reduces the time taken to locate missing people on open ground. The system should be ready for use in search operations within two years. The system was created by a team led by Prof. Tomasz Niedzielski from the SARUAV technology company working under the patronage of the University of Wroclaw. SARUAV stands for Search and Rescue Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and the system produces images taken from unmanned aircraft to automatically assist in search operations by showing rescuers potential sites on map reports. Niedzielski said that the system first identifies an area where the missing person might be. "It does that with the help of several mathematical models, which take into account the specifics of the person who is missing -- because a child, an ill person, a tourist and a cyclist all move differently -- as well as data about the coverage and shape of the terrain," Prof. Niedzielski said.