Better at spotting detail than the human eye, artificial intelligence (AI) may make an entrance into New Zealand search and rescue missions in the future.
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has conducted a trial using AI technology to analyse video footage for missing people in search and rescue missions.
The scenario involved several "lost" people in a river corridor, partially hidden within river debris such as logs or rocks.
A drone which had AI software was flown over the search area to provide a stream of footage back to NZDF for analysis.
The software on the drone was able to detect people obscured in cluttered areas and partially submerged in water.
A NZDF spokesman said AI could greatly increase the speed and efficiency in which data could be processed, meaning quicker decisions could be made.
"The human eye has to find a person in the clutter of an image ... It can easily be missed.
"An AI can be trained to look for a pattern of pixels that might be a person and the types of variation that might occur ... It can be more focused," he said.
The trial proved the hardware running the software, a metre-long computer called the Azure Stack Edge, could be deployed remotely.
Regarding its application, the NZDF spokesman said there was still a lot of work to do to identify how to integrate the AI technology into current search and rescue practices.
"The NZDF routinely test and evaluate emerging technologies, including AI.
"This is done both to understand the potential benefits of use for NZDF, and potential threats," he said.
Exactly when or if this technology will be implemented into the NZDF is unknown.
