Drones to help in search-and-rescue missions? NEIT students up to task

EAST GREENWICH, R.I. (WPRI) — Students at New England Tech could be due some congratulations if their latest invention helps save lives.

In the institute’s program for getting an associate’s degree in Electronics, Robotics, and Drone Technology, students have developed a system that uses both an unmanned aerial vehicle and an unmanned “rover” vehicle — sky and ground drones — to make quick work of seeking out a missing person and getting help to them.

Bob Comerford, a professor in the school’s Drone Engineering program, said the project raised the stakes for students.

“They got so excited about the whole thing because they can see how it gives them an end result, as opposed to just a lab [activity] where a light blinked, or something like that, they were actually able to solve a problem,” he explained…Read More