Successful demonstration of finding a missing child using real-time remote drone control in beyond-line-of-sight conditions

LG Uplus announced that, together with Hanwha Precision Machinery, it has obtained the qualification for special drone flights beyond visual range for the first time in Korea.

Previously, LG Uplus and Hanwha Precision Machinery submitted a flight plan including the purpose, method, flight path, and altitude of the drone flight in accordance with the 'Standards on Approval Procedures for Special Flights of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles' under the Aviation Safety Act to obtain approval for a special flight beyond visual range.

We have secured the first domestic qualification for a drone special flight beyond visual range from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and plan to conduct a 'missing person search' flight using a drone with the goal of commercialization.

By integrating LG Uplus’s cloud drone control system and real-time video transmission solution with Hanwha Precision Machinery’s drone airframes, it enables the rapid and safe search, discovery, and rescue of missing persons, controlling drones from outside the line of sight.

LG Uplus has been working with Hanwha Precision Machinery to improve drone airframes and systems, including automatic safety devices, collision avoidance functions, and real-time video transmission.

Kwon Yong-hoon, Head of the Drone Team at LG Uplus, stated, “In the event of a missing person, it is essential to be able to conduct a rapid and extensive search, and we have been able to resolve this issue through drones’ beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight.” He added, “Currently, we are testing BVLOS flights exclusively for searching for missing persons, but we will continue to explore ways to create synergy by utilizing drones for other purposes as well.”

On the 23rd, LG Uplus In collaboration with Hanwha Precision Machinery, a demonstration was conducted for the Songpa District Office, Songpa Police Station, and Yeoju Police Station to locate missing children using real-time remote drone control in non-line-of-sight conditions.

During the demonstration, a drone located near Maze Park in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do, was connected via LTE to LG Uplus's cloud drone control system; upon receiving a report of a missing child at the Songpa-gu Office Disaster and Safety Situation Room, located approximately 43km away, the drone was remotely dispatched in real-time to rapidly search the surrounding area.

The drone flew autonomously at an altitude of about 50m for a distance of about 2km and transmitted search footage of an area of about 94,000m2 (about 27,000 pyeong) in real time via LTE to the Songpa-gu Office Disaster Safety Situation Room through a camera mounted on the aircraft.

They quickly located the person using a thermal camera, zoomed in with a 30x zoom optical camera to identify the child presumed to be missing, continuously followed the child's path, and informed nearby patrol cars of the child's location, and the case concluded with the child being safely rescued by the dispatched police.

Police Lieutenant Kang Dong-woo of the Crime Prevention Diagnosis Team at the Community Safety Division of Songpa Police Station said, “We have been continuously discussing ways to utilize drones for policing activities with LG Uplus since last March, and receiving approval for special flights beyond visual range seems to have laid the groundwork for actively utilizing them in the field.” He added, “We expect that they can also be used for flexible patrols that patrol at the locations and times residents want, with enhanced safety and security. We will continue to strive to utilize drones for the public good through cooperation among the public, private, and police sectors.”