K-State Salina’s drone research enhances major-event safety
Going to a big event or concert is filled with excitement and joy — until something unexpected goes wrong.
Working to elevate safety measures, K-State Salina’s Applied Aviation Research Center is using drones to enhance safety officials’ response protocol. Offering live aerial footage, the drones give first responders a bird’s eye view, ensuring safer and smoother events.
To research the potential of drone support, the AARC partnered with the Kansas Highway Patrol to bring bots to events around Kansas, including the Kansas State Fair.
Garnering over 300,000 fairgoers a year, the fair tasks law enforcement with establishing a strong response system. This is where support from the AARC’s uncrewed aircraft system experts came in. Through drones, the team provided a live feed captured through aerial videography. The stream was broadcast to the incident command station, run by law enforcement and AARC, who used the stream to direct officers to incident response sites quickly.
The state fair wasn’t the first event the AARC assisted with. The group also aided in safety response at the Kelce Jam festival. With the goal of efficiency, each event gives valuable information on how to improve communication with officials. By practicing at planned events, officials can also learn how to communicate through drone technology when a natural disaster strikes.
“These large concert-type venues work great because you have support from multiple organizations working together like law enforcement, emergency management and emergency medical services,” said Travis Balthazor, AARC deputy director and Salina alumnus. “These environments help us refine the technology and communication procedures so when a disaster happens, emergency crews are prepared to respond as efficiently as possible.”
While the AARC helps law enforcement at major events, K-State Salina’s uncrewed aircraft system experts are collecting research to help build the technology and standards for widespread use. Through grants, the group is assisting the Federal Aviation Administration and the Kansas Department of Transportation, creating streamlined processes for emergency and disaster-response scenarios
As the AARC continues to prove the value of drones, K-State is making events, both planned and unplanned, safer — one flight at a time.
Learn more about the work K-State Salina’s Applied Aviation Research Center is doing here- https://www.salina.k-state.edu/research-training/applied-aviation-research-center/
Written By: Abbigail Marshall
Curated From: https://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/2024-09/KState-Salina-drone-technology-research-continues-at-state-fair.html
