The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) stands out as the only institution in Scotland offering a BA (Hons) in Criminology & Criminal Justice. Building on this unique academic foundation, UWS has developed a new search and rescue (SAR) technology that helps locate missing people in tough, remote areas.

Finding missing individuals in the wild usually takes a lot of time and effort, often requiring trained dogs or large search teams. UWS has developed a system that makes this process much easier. They’ve designed a special app that runs on smartphones, using advanced machine learning to detect people. This app works with a drone to capture video, and the smartphone processes this video to find missing individuals with 94.73% accuracy.

The system uses small sensors attached to the drone to record video, which is then analysed on the smartphone using a tool called Tiny-YOLOv3. This setup avoids the need for expensive equipment or internet connections, making it perfect for use in remote areas. The results appear instantly on the smartphone, so search teams can act quickly.

Police Scotland is now using this technology to help their search teams find missing people faster and more accurately. This new technology from UWS is a significant improvement in search and rescue operations and supports global efforts in emergency response and saving lives.