 Student's invention plays key role in Sichuan operations
By Joseph Li (HK Edition)
Updated: 2008-07-17 07:16 A local student has recently invented an unmanned mini-helicopter equipped with camera to help find out the degree of damages caused by the Sichuan earthquake. From May 15 to 23, Wang Tao, a postgraduate of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, took over 1,000 aerial photos of 12 affected cities, towns and counties in Sichuan using the helicopter. He handed the pictures to Sichuan authorities. "The helicopter is equipped with a video camera which is linked to the Global Positioning System and can fly on its own on a preset course. Photos taken will be remitted to a manned ground station and the quality of the photos is quite good," Wang said yesterday. "The aerial scanning provides immense help to rescue and recovery operations. It helped the rescue teams assess the damage, set priorities and chart the course of actions to be taken." As compared with normal helicopters, the unmanned, remote-controlled helicopter has several distinct advantages, he pointed out. First, it is faster, with a maximum speed of 70 km per hour. Second, it is safe to operate even in disaster-stricken zones and during adverse weather conditions. Third, the operating cost is much lower because it uses less fuel. For a 30-minute operation, the mini-helicopter costs only a few thousand HK dollars whereas the same operation by a normal helicopter would cost over HK$10,000. "At the time of a disaster when the government cannot provide normal manned helicopters to the toll zones, the mini-helicopter could play an important role," he said. (HK Edition 07/17/2008 page1) |
