Low-cost drone communication system to boost disaster emergency response
By Michael McHugh, PA
A researcher has invented a low-cost telecommunication system using drones which provides early warning on natural disasters and acts as a WiFi hotspot when phone signal is disrupted during extreme weather.
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It is known as a “Catastrophe-Tolerant Telecommunications Network” (CTTN) and is critical to emergency missions such as rescue teams and emergency medical services.
Amateur drones can last for around 30 minutes when flying over a large area, but Dr Duong’s system will last three-to-five times longer than this and is not as expensive as a professional drone.
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He added: “An added complication is that when a natural disaster hits, people in the affected communities find it very difficult to communicate with emergency services and their families as phone signal and WiFi is often disrupted due to the weather and also because so many people are using the system at one time.”
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