Drone2Drone: A search and rescue framework for finding lost UAV swarm agents

UAV swarms have seen widespread use in SAR (Search and Rescue operations). SAR missions are generally defined as exploration problems. Exploration approaches can be used in a wide range of applications [1]. Applications can include searching for an entity in danger or need of medical attention [2] or finding the spread of forest fires [3]. These approaches are labeled as application-specific SAR methods in UAV swarms. However, these do not contribute to the resiliency of the swarm itself.. Resiliency is defined as the ability of a system to withstand disruptions. As a part of multiobjective research toward increasing UAV swarm resiliency, an alternate approach is explored. Efforts towards the development of a Search and Rescue protocol that is directed towards the UAV agents that make up the swarm is underway.