When a child gets lost in the crowd in India, they might be one in 633 million people. This was the size of the crowd at the sacred Hindu festival, Purna Maha Kumbh, in January this year. An effective method of locating lost children is critical in the country, especially with the spectre of child exploitation lurking nearby. Dentsu Creative India found one, Garuda Rakshal, for DSP Mutual Fund, in association with Falco Robotics.
It is an application of drone technology for search-and-rescue, that overcomes the usual limitations in emergency response efforts due to mobile network congestion from crowd density and provides swift action during the “golden hour”. Inspired by Garuda, the celestial guardian of Hindu mythology, this pioneering technology is a fusion of tradition and modern engineering to prevent permanent separation and child exploitation. Garuda Rakshak uses 1970s marine navigation technology, integrating an 8-bit communication method that transmits critical updates over kilometres using less than 1 kilobyte of data.
The development and activation of Garuda Rakshak was a remarkable collaborative effort, bringing together the expertise and resources of multiple orgaisations. Dentsu Creative India spearheaded the development of the technology, building the system from scratch under the leadership of Gurbaksh Singh, chief innovation officer, Dentsu Creative India. Falco Robotics contributed by donating the drones essential for the operation of the system. DSP Mutual Fund provided the necessary funding for the project, aligning with its Invest for Good philosophy. Additionally, Dentsu Creative India was responsible for designing the logo and constructing the kiosks used during the festival.
78% of children were traced within 5 minutes. Every lost child wearing a wristband was successfully reunited with their family.
Gurbaksh Singh, chief innovation officer, Dentsu Creative India, stated, “In an era dominated by IoTs, we’ve taken a step back to draw inspiration from the past and fused it with new-age drone automation that not only saves lives but also restores hope and reassurance to families in their most vulnerable moments. By developing an entirely offline system, we eliminate reliance on congested networks, ensuring no margin for error during critical rescue operations. This project showcases the transformative power of technology when driven by human compassion and a relentless pursuit of a safer, more caring world.”
Vishal Dixit, CEO, Falco Robotics, added, “The integration of drone technology with Garuda Rakshak’s offline navigation system has resulted in a truly pioneering solution, uniquely equipped to handle the complexities of such extraordinary, high-density events. We’re excited to see the difference it makes.”
