ROLFER: A fully autonomous aerial rescue support system

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVs) technology can provide a critical and multifaceted support in Search and Rescue (SAR) operations. They can be of invaluable use in preserving victims' lives, as well as backing-up rescue workers. Their main advantage is the shrinkage of intervention time, which constitutes a fundamental parameter being seriously accounted when designing such procedures and missions. Bearing this in mind, the paper in hand describes the design and implementation of a robotic Autonomous Unmanned Aerial System (AUAS), namely the ROLFER (Robotic Lifeguard for Emergency Rescue) system, which aims to immediately provide rescue and life-saving services. The proposed platform is suitable for life-saving services that require fast reaction in the context of an emergency. ROLFER's architecture and its elements are detailed concerning both hardware and software. We study the performance of the system both in terms of accuracy and intervention time. Experimental results in real conditions flights demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed system.