LyF RescueDrone

Project Lead: Valentin Ibars (valentin.ibars@epfl.ch) and Paul Campredon (paul.campredon@epfl.ch)

The project objective is to create a device able to localize precisely and autonomously buried victims in avalanches, in a quicker and more efficient manner than actual commercialized solutions.

Each year, about 150 riders die in avalanches. A coupled emitter/transceiver beacon called DVA (standing for Detection Victim Avalanche) is widely used nowadays to prevent avalanches fatalities. It is a performing solution but often too slow because it needs a human to proceed the search of buried victim. This material allows to localize victims via a manual search done by rescuers, walking through the avalanche path. The search procedure is a diffcult task because it has to be performed with a certain technique, in stressful situations. It also involves moving over diffcult terrain with deep snow and being exposed to a second avalanche. Thus, the rescue depends on human factor.

Time is the most important factor while searching. The rescuers have to be quick. In the goal of improving effciency and decreasing intervention time, we are designing an autonomous drone using the principle of DVA on board. The device is compact, robust and ergonomic.

Just as the beacon, it is wearable under the clothes. Our technology will increase survival chances by reducing the search time and getting rid of human errors. The advantages of our solutions are :

• Reduction of search time;
• More effcient search;
• User is not exposed to over avalanche risk;
• Instant communication with professional rescuers.

We present here the need the rescue drone is responding to, and the constrains we will meet during the design of this device.