Autonomous multi-drone application for firefighters

This project is reserved. Students with knowledge of German are welcome to contact us.

As technology advances, drones are getting more innovative and more technologically advanced. This makes them not just a tool for amateur and professional photographers but also makes it possible to use them for public use. Just imagine two scenarios:

• A burglary in a jewelry shop sets off an alarm. It usually takes a while for the police to arrive on the scene. In the meantime, an autonomous police drone appears within a few seconds to take a first shot of the incident. Everything the drone sees is recorded and transmitted to the police in real-time. The drone spots the burglar immediately, who is about to flee. It chases the burglar and pushes him from behind such that he falls to the ground. At this moment, the police drive up to the spot and arrest the burglar.
• A flood surprises a village in the middle of the night. Some citizens need to be evacuated immediately. The emergency personnel cannot be at all households at the same time. Therefore, they are supported by multiple drones, which autonomously determine which homes are specifically affected, fly there, and provide the inhabitants with instructions on how to leave their houses. The drones are endowed with special sensors (e.g., precipitation, water flow, etc.) and analytical tools (e.g., predictive modeling) and are interconnected. On this basis, the drones-system can provide emergency services with an encompassing view of the situation.

As part of our research on human drone collaboration, we would like to examine several issues related to drone use closely.

For further information, see:Human-Drone-Collaboration

With this project we want to test the potential for changing the perception of the drone through the possible use of multiple drones.

We are looking for motivated students, who will:

• study the application of drones by public entities
• gain insights into the perception of multi-drone application
• develop and to test different application scenarios 
• conduct an experiment with firefighters

This master project gives you the opportunity to deepen your knowledge in the application of drones by public entities and learn about experimental techniques in IS research

In this thesis, your task will be to co-organize and conduct an experiment  and to systematically analyze collected data (Interviews, videos, questionnaires) from the already conducted experiments. You will also identify and study relevant literature from IS, CSCW, HCI, and POC research.

This project gives you the opportunity to investigate an emerging technology in the public sector. Additionally, your results provide a basis for further research and development of drones for the needs of the public sector.

For this thesis, we are looking for:

• Motivated students with interest in drones (ideally with experience)
• The student should also be interested in working in a team and being open to innovative ideas
• German knowledge is very welcomed

If you are interested in the topic and think you are the right person to get involved, contact us:

• Dzmitry Katsiuba