Technology to find missing people in minutes

The Lifeseeker device has a maximum range of 32km and can determine the location of a switched-on mobile phone within less than 5km.

A new technology called Lifeseeker can help search and rescue (SAR) teams find missing people in minutes. Designed specifically for SAR helicopters, the device uses the victim's mobile phone to save their life. The device acts as a miniature cell tower and can contact the missing person (as long as their phone is on). This technology can work even in areas with no or limited cell phone service, Interesting Engineering reported on May 28.

Lifeseeker flies above rough terrain. (Photo: Centum RT).

Lifeseeker is a radio-based technology that requires unobstructed terrain to receive cell phone signals . Mounting the Lifeseeker inside the helicopter for SAR missions takes about 3 minutes. Lifeseeker was developed by CENTUM Research & Technology company in Spain. Lifeseeker can detect mobile phones within a range of 32 km and accurately locate within a radius of less than 5 km. Tested in La Plata Canyon in Colorado, Lifeseeker helped find two missing people within 2 minutes and 14 seconds of activation.

"When we detect a phone, it shows up as a small dot on the map. As we fly around the area, the dot gets smaller and smaller until we know exactly where they are. The process detecting, focusing on a specific location takes about a minute ," explains Dr. Tim Durkin, search and rescue program coordinator for Colorado Highland Helicopters. Durkin shared that depending on the situation, the SAR team can bring ground personnel to the location of the accident or land the helicopter if there is open land nearby and favorable conditions for a safe landing.

La Plata Canyon is surrounded by 3,658 m and 3,962 m peaks on both sides with dense forest. This remote mountain area is the site of many search and rescue missions for missing hikers and runners. In the past, some missions went on for weeks without finding the missing person, eventually forcing the search to stop. For this reason, it was the perfect choice for testing the Lifeseeker. "Even when two adults stood under the canopy of a tree and we looked through the screen on the helicopter at a distance of 30 meters, we could not see them because the canopy was too thick. Searching for a person in such conditions was impossible." The auxiliary technology to see them is very difficult, almost impossible ," Durkin said.