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In the world of search and rescue, time is critical, and efficiency can save lives—especially in dangerous indoor environments like collapsed buildings. The latest advancement in this field comes from a group of graduate students at Penn State’s Autonomous Robotics Competition Club (ARCC), who have created an innovative drone system designed to enhance indoor search and rescue operations.
According to TechXplore, this new unmanned aircraft system (UAS) consists of two drones, one smaller and more agile, and the other equipped with advanced technology for 3D mapping. The dual-drone setup is meant to assist law enforcement and emergency responders by offering both real-time surveillance and detailed environmental mapping. The drones are capable of operating either separately or together, providing critical situational awareness in various scenarios.
The development was spurred by the team’s participation in the 2023 First Responder UAS 3D Mapping Challenge, where they came in second place and received a prize of 20,000$. According to the researchers, the first drone is lightweight and simple, designed for mobility and equipped with thermal imaging, night vision and live video. The second drone focuses on creating 3D maps of indoor spaces, running a relatively powerful onboard computer to generate maps autonomously.
What makes this innovation particularly remarkable is its cost-effectiveness. By using off-the-shelf components combined with custom software and hardware, the ARCC team has managed to keep production costs low, at only a few thousand dollars.
The team’s achievements don’t end there. In addition to their success in the mapping challenge, ARCC has also recently progressed in the GoAERO Challenge, sponsored by Boeing, focused on developing autonomous aerial vehicles for medical evacuation.
The ARCC’s work not only promises to advance search and rescue technology but also paves the way for improved tools that could save lives during emergencies, giving first responders the technology they need to act quickly and decisively.
A paper detailing the system was published in AIAA SCITECH 2025 Forum.
