Hedgehog EIT Lucas Hall Completes Capstone Project for Aerial Search & Rescue Missions

Lucas Hall at BCIT event.

For his Capstone project, former co-op turned full-time employee Lucas Hall developed an artificial intelligence image processing platform for aerial search and rescue missions.

British Columbia is rich in nature and scenic views which prompt hikers from all over the world to explore the beautiful province. However, every year hundreds of hikers get lost and require rescue from the backcountry

Lucas and his team identified that the current method of aerial searching is inefficient. Pilots and spotters search the ground for their targets but adverse conditions and human limitations can make the job difficult. 

With today’s technology, a high resolution camera can outperform human eyes. Machine learning and AI can process these images in great detail and reveal clues that a human spotter might have missed. This was the motivation behind their Searchlight Scanner project. 

What is the Searchlight Scanner?

Capstone team (left to right): Kristian Nielsen, Lucas Hall, Kieran Bako, Matthew Peeters.

The Searchlight Scanner is a real-time image processing device used in conjunction with a GoPro Hero camera. Onboard an SAR helicopter, the GoPro captures images from the skies before it interacts with the Searchlight Scanner software to apply machine learning and process the images in real-time without the need for an internet connection in remote areas. 

Operators choose from a list of targets that include vehicles, people, boats, aircrafts, and more. The software will detect and identify the targets that humans might have missed. 

BCIT Project Expo 

Left to right: Kristian Nielsen, Lucas Hall, Michael Wrinch, Matthew Peeters.

The BCIT Project Expo brought together the capstone teams across various engineering disciplines to showcase their project at a booth. The Searchlight Scanner captured a lot of attention from attendees including our founder Dr. Michael Wrinch who stopped by for a visit. 

Congratulations to the capstone team behind the Searchlight Scanner: Lucas Hall, Kieran Bako, Matthew Peeters, and Kristian Nielsen.