Edge AI-enabled Drones Delivering First Response for Public Safety

Hardware: A603 Carrier Board with NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX

Application: Drone Inspection for Fast Response

Industry: Public Safety

Deployment Location: U.S

Public safety is one of the important links in city management, whether it is forest inspection or rescue scene. It usually plays a key role when the emergency department can not be there on time. Let’s take the forest fire as an example. It’s commonly related to fire prevention, forest resource monitoring, etc. However, the traditional manual inspection has obvious disadvantages of low efficiency, and if the discovery is delayed, it is likely to cause irreversible loss and consequences to forest resources.

Challenge

Currently, forest inspection methods worldwide heavily rely on manual labor, which brings several practical challenges:

• High Workload, Low Efficiency: Manual inspections are labor-intensive and time-consuming.
• Safety Concerns: Inspection personnel face potential dangers in the field.
• Limited Visibility: Traditional lookout methods can’t provide a complete view of the forest, making it hard to spot fires quickly.
• Slow Response: Coordinating firefighting efforts on-site is often delayed, which can worsen the situation.
• Satellite Limitations: Satellite data acquisition takes too long and lacks real-time capabilities, making it ineffective for early fire detection and monitoring.

Solution

To tackle the aforementioned challenges, this solution comprises two key components:

Drone-Equipped Zoom Camera with Jetson Orin NX:

It integrates a high-resolution zoom camera onto the UAV, allowing for real-time monitoring and early fire detection from an altitude up to 800 meters above the ground. The critical data acquired is then efficiently processed and analyzed using the NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX, conveniently mounted on a compact A603 carrier board. This setup offers seamless integration with various drone aircraft, enhancing their capabilities significantly.

Multi-Rotor Drone with Thermal Infrared Camera:

It is designed to operate with minimal requirements for take-off sites, eliminating the need for patrol personnel to undertake physically demanding climbs. Equipped with a thermal infrared camera, it can swiftly identify the initial fire point, issuing early warnings. Additionally, the drone can hover at a fixed point to provide a comprehensive view of the fire. It can access and transmit real-time video sources, enabling authorities to gather valuable situational awareness even before they arrive at the scene. This live broadcast capability facilitates assessment en route and allows for immediate support from the Real-Time Crime Center, dispatch, or specialized drone units, who can provide critical information to ground personnel. The system can identify multiple targets, operate effectively at night, remotely measure temperatures, conduct intelligent patrols, and autonomously track moving targets, making it a robust and versatile solution for real-time fire detection and monitoring.

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