Artificial intelligence (AI) is better at spotting details than the human eye, so it could enter New Zealand’s search and rescue operations in the future.
The New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) conducted a trial using AI technology to analyze video footage of people who went missing during a search and rescue mission.
The scenario involved several people “lost” in a river corridor, partially hidden in river debris such as logs and rocks.
A drone with AI software flew over the search area and provided a stream of footage to the NZDF for analysis.
Software onboard the drone was able to detect people hiding in cluttered areas or partially submerged in water.
A spokesperson for the NZDF said AI could significantly improve the speed and efficiency of data processing, enabling faster decision making.
“The human eye has to find people in a cluttered image…it’s easy to miss.
“The AI can be trained to look for patterns of pixels that could be people and what kinds of variations might occur…it can be more focused,” he said. rice field.
This exam demonstrated the ability to remotely deploy hardware running software, a 1-meter-long computer called an Azure Stack Edge.
Regarding its application, an NZDF spokesman said much work is still needed to identify how AI technology can be integrated into current search and rescue operations.
“NZDF regularly tests and evaluates new technologies, including AI.
“This is done to understand the potential benefits and potential threats of using the NZDF,” he said.
Exactly when or if this technology will be implemented in NZDF is unknown.
titus.lambertlane@odt.co.nz
