Harrisonburg, VA
Lassie has designed UAV-based technology that will aid first responders in hurricane aftermath by way of restoring telecommunications in devastated areas. The modular, payload-deployed Wi-Fi network could save lives like the 1,000 recently lost to Hurricane Matthew.
The project seeks to aid individuals in post-hurricane aftermath by way of restoring telecommunications where the infrastructure for it has been destroyed. Lassie of Harrisonburg, VA will use specially-designed drones to deliver payloads of ad-hoc networking equipment around the affected area. Once the area has been mapped out, by the drone or otherwise, the payloads will be placed in strategic locations so as to create a mesh Wi-Fi network. A unique program will allow Lassie to automatically connect to network-enabled devices in the area. Once connected, a landing page will ask the user if they are a civilian or a first responder. Civilians will be prompted to rate their injury or danger level and their location will be marked upon completion. First responders will be able to see the locations of those who have rated their injury on a map and can then allocate rescue workers accordingly. The application is created with smartphone users in mind, but it may be adapted to any network-enabled device (laptop, tablet, etc). Utilizing the rapid deployment of networking equipment by drone and their software, Lassie is looking to revolutionize the outdated and ineffective strategies of post-disaster triage. While this project is currently focused on acting in a post-hurricane situation, the technology can be used in other disaster situations. The team will provide a representative demonstration of their technology and methodology at a public showcase held in Harrisonburg, VA on December 7, 2016.
About Lassie
The research team behind the company is a modest group of five undergraduate students from James Madison University. The team hails from wildly different disciplines; from writing to engineering and from intelligence analysis to industrial design. Lassie’s cross-disciplinary approach allows them to attack problems from several angles and blend highly-technical concepts with abstract design principles.
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