Drones revolutionise search-and-rescue operations

Drones are widely used to take amazing aerial photos, or to inspect infrastructure and crops. But in the future it is hoped they can increasingly be deployed to help firefighters or search and rescue operations in emergency situations.

Swiss researchers are at the forefront of drone research. The Swiss rescue agency Rega is testing an autonomous rescue drone to find people lost or in difficulty in the mountains. It should be operational next year.

Scientists are also working on small autonomous drones that can fold up to squeeze through collapsed buildings or super-agile bird-like robots that can fly through forests or buildings independently for use in rescue operations.