Police and fire departments from Brownsville had joined forces Monday night to locate and rescue an 88-year-old man who was reported missing. According to Brownsville Police Department Spokeswoman Melissa Gonzalez said Luis Reyna Zuniga’s family had informed the police that the elderly man went missing around 5:30 pm. In the end, it was with the help of a thermal drone that the man was found. The drone possibly saved Zuniga’s life, according to police. Over the last few years, many people’s lives have been saved with the help of drones.

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Finding lost hikers in a forest can be very difficult as the thick canopy prevents helicopters and manned aircraft from getting a glimpse of what is down below. Using drones may be difficult as well as flying in between the trees, GPS signals may be very difficult to pick up. This is where autonomous fleets of drones outfitted with LIDAR systems may come to the rescue of lost hikers, as presented by MIT researchers at the International Symposium on Experimental Robotics conference.

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In Australia, scientists of the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries are testing drones to learn more about shark behavior and using this technology as a beach safety device. Australia seems to be much further ahead than the US when it comes to using drones to keep beaches safe. The video below shows you some amazing footage of sharks, dolphins, and whales, that was collected during these tests.

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A woman who had been missing since last Friday was found in the jungle in Kampung Nyior Manis, Malaysia with the help of a drone. According to the officer-in-charge of Pekan Fire and Rescue Station Wan Samsul Effendi Wan Mahmud, the 31-year-old woman was found at 4.20pm last Saturday. A member of the public had used his drone to find her in the jungle.

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In Belmar, New Jersey, lifeguards are conducting tests using drones to assist them in helping swimmers back to land. According to CBS 3 Philly, the town of Belmar is looking to Rutgers University for help in a partnership to figure out how these rescues will work.

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