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Unmanned solutions for rescue and rope access during technical rescues.

  • 2024 ITRS Conference

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UNMANNED SOLUTIONS -

THE FUTURE OF ROPE ACCESS

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Background

  • BSc Mechanical Eng.
  • MBA
  • 30+ years of rescue training experience

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  • Head of the IDF rescue and climbing school
  • Volunteer rescue team leader 25+ years
  • Rescue consultant
  • Entrepreneur

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Safe access for hard-to-reach places:

The challenge

  • passing ropes between 2 points
  • Placing anchors

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Passing a rope between 2 points

River crossing

  • Floods
  • Swift water rescue

High angled rescue

  • Urban
  • Rural

Rescue “death zone”

  • Fragile ground
  • Mine fields
  • Hazmat

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Current Solutions

Passing the rope by a rescuer

  • Time consuming
  • Safety issues (unstable terrain, swift water)

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Current Solutions

  • Slingshot
    • accuracy
    • short range
  • Rope launchers
    • accuracy
    • Problem of “duds”
    • safety

Shooting lines

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Current Solutions

Helicopters rope passing

  • Limited resource
  • Condition depended
  • Risk for the team and nearby

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UAVs –

A Different Approach

  • A variety of platforms
  • Gaining popularity
  • Advanced

capabilities for many rescue missions

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Exploration

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What we found out

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Carrying the line is better

  • No drag
  • Less risk for the drone
  • More accurate

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Immediate release is important

  • Ability to abort
  • No need to land
  • 2 for 1 –

Payload release included

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2

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VDRC

  • Vertical Drone Rope Carrier
    • Quick release feature
    • Allows vertical line placements
    • Payload carry and release on the same system

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Examples

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Megilot Rescue Team – desert rescue

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GSRS – Germany – urban rescue

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Golan Rescue Team – canyon rescue

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Grimpday 2022 – Belgium – high angled rescue

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What else can we do with it?

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Payload release

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The challenge

Safe access for hard-to-reach places:

  • passing ropes between 2 points
  • Placing anchors

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Placing anchors in hard to reach places

Climbing on structures

Carne rescue Tower rescue Power lines Amusement parks

Placing a safety line

Swift water rescue

Roof access

High-rises

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Current Solutions

Ladders

  • Relatively low
  • Safety

Telescopic

poles

  • Relatively low

Lead climbing

  • High skill needed
  • safety
  • slow

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Current solutions

Helicopters

  • availability
  • Risk

Lifting platforms

  • Accessibility
  • Limited height

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VDRC

  • Vertical Drone Rope Carrier
    • Passing a cord over a building/structure
    • Pulling the ascending rope
    • Anchor on one side
    • ascending

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Placing life line on a tower

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Cable car rescue

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Power line rescue

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TIPULA

  • Placing an anchor with a drone
    • Accurate
    • Remote controlled
    • Lower risk
    • Lower cost

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Tower anchor placement

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Convex – DROP-X

mini

  • Lightweight payload release

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DROP-X

mini + CrossLine Reach Hook

  • Placing an anchor around an object
    • Advanced technique
    • Currently useful for water rescue

RAK kit

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Water rescue – far bank rigging

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Case Study – 05/24 CA field tests – Travis J. Buddrus

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Case Study –

05/24 CA

Tests – TJ Buddrus

Case Study -

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Implementation

  • UAV operator
  • Team member / outsourcing
    • Skill and training

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Implementation

  • Safety protocols

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  • Operational protocols
    • Joint training
      • Rope team
      • UAV operator

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Implementation

  • Limitations
    • weather
    • LZ
    • safety

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What’s in the future

  • Improvements of current solutions
  • More unmanned platforms
  • Sensors and AI
  • User friendly OS

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Climbing Robots

  • Easier regulation
  • Simple systems

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VR user friendly OS

  • Easy to operate
  • Less training time

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Sensors and AI

  • Semi autonomous systems

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  • Precise anchor placement

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Human factor

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Thanks for listening!

  • Idan Peretz
  • idanper@highnovate.com
  • +972529280145