3DSAR+: A Single-Drone 3D Cellular Search and Rescue Solution Leveraging 5G-NR

Every year millions of lives are lost in emergency situations. Localizing missing people in the shortest possible timeframe is the most effective tool to reduce such a death toll. However, this is challenging when the victims are unable to communicate by themselves or located in large and difficult-to- reach areas. Current technological approaches for victim localization are often rendered inoperable under obstacles or low visibility conditions, or due to the lack of cellular networking infrastructure. Toward addressing these issues, we present 3DSAR+, a pioneering single-drone three-dimensional (3D) cellular search-and-rescue (SAR) solution leveraging 5G-new radio (NR) technology. 3DSAR+ system introduces dynamic autonomous 3D UAV trajectories in diverse and challenging environments, offering a robust tool for first responders in SAR missions. The main novelty of the proposed approach lies in advanced distance and angle estimation combined with machine learning (ML) algorithms for position prediction and correction. The approach is able to estimate victims’ locations through their mobile phones without requiring extra equipment and improves localization accuracy by an order of magnitude compared to baseline solutions.