Hikers lost near Kosciuszko found by AI drone

Two young hikers who got lost in Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales, Australia, have been found safe — thanks to a drone powered by artificial intelligence. The men, both in their early 20s, went missing on Tuesday evening while walking the Dead Horse Gap track, about 35 kilometres south-west of a town called Jindabyne. Rescuers from Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) used a high-tech drone to locate them in less than five hours. Officials say it was the first time this kind of AI system had ever been used to rescue a missing hiker.

The hikers were reported missing at 7pm on Tuesday. Firefighters from the Jindabyne Fire Station launched a remote-controlled drone loaded with special AI software to search the area. The drone used thermal imaging — a way of detecting body heat — to find the men. It turned out they had wandered about 500 metres off the trail.

Once the drone spotted the hikers, police and State Emergency Service volunteers used the drone's built-in speaker to talk to them directly. Rescuers were then sent in to guide the men safely out of the park. The hikers showed mild signs of exposure to the cold but chose not to receive medical treatment on the spot.

FRNSW Inspector Phillip Eberle, who led the search, said the AI drone likely saved several days of searching. 'There's every chance in the world we could have still been out there,' he said. Without the drone, rescuers might have spent days combing the bush on foot. The technology made a dangerous and time-consuming task much faster and safer.

Inspector Russell Turner, the chief remote pilot for FRNSW's Aviation Unit, explained how the drone works. The drone carries four cameras, including infrared cameras that can see heat. Its AI software studies thousands of images in real time and can tell the difference between a person, a vehicle, an animal, or other heat sources. When the system thinks it has spotted a person, it marks their exact position on a screen with a ping alert.

The drones also use augmented reality mapping, which lets crews see fire trails, bush tracks, and roads displayed right on their screens while searching. Inspector Turner said the technology could even be used in other kinds of emergencies, like counting dead fish in a creek after a chemical spill. FRNSW has been upgrading its drone fleet across the state over the past 18 months. Officials plan to keep improving the technology so it can be used in even more situations.

Inspector Eberle said the new drones mean rescue workers in the Snowy Mountains don't have to put themselves in danger as often. He hopes the technology will one day be able to drop care packages — like food, water, and warm clothing — to people waiting to be rescued overnight. 'We can save putting rescuers at risk overnight and drop a rescue pack to people so they're OK overnight, and be there first thing in the morning when it's safer for everyone,' he said. Fire and Rescue NSW says it will keep working to improve the AI drone system for use in all kinds of emergencies.