The Army Design Bureau (ADB), Indian Army, is supporting an important technology initiative aimed at improving the ability to locate humans trapped beneath snow using drones. The proposed system combines unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), advanced sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), thermal or other detection technologies, and rapid data analysis to assist search-and-rescue teams operating in difficult snow-covered terrain.
This technology could be particularly valuable in high-altitude and avalanche-prone regions, where every minute is critical for locating and rescuing trapped soldiers or civilians.
Project Details at a Glance
The project is listed as “Locating Trapped Humans Under Snow Using Drones” and is funded by the Army Design Bureau (ADB), Indian Army. According to the project information published by the Institute of Defence Studies and Research (IDSR), the project has an approved funding of ₹67 lakh and a project period of 2024–2026.
Why Locating Humans Under Snow Is a Major Challenge
Avalanches and heavy snowfall present an extremely dangerous challenge for troops deployed in India’s high-altitude regions. Soldiers may be buried under several layers of snow, while rescue teams have to operate in freezing temperatures, poor visibility, unstable terrain and the continuing risk of secondary avalanches.
The most critical challenge is often not simply digging through the snow—it is finding the exact location of the trapped person quickly.
Traditional search operations can involve:
- Physical probing and visual inspection
- Search and rescue teams moving across dangerous terrain
- Avalanche victim detectors
- Sniffer dogs
- Thermal imaging equipment
- Ground-based radar systems
However, each technology has limitations. The Indian Army’s earlier problem statements highlighted that conventional methods can take time, while some avalanche victim detection systems have limited effective range. The Army has therefore been pursuing indigenous technologies capable of improving the speed and accuracy of locating people trapped beneath snow.
The Role of Drones in Avalanche Search Operations
The basic concept behind this project is to use a drone as a rapid aerial search platform.
Instead of sending rescue personnel immediately into an unstable avalanche zone, a UAV can fly over the affected area and collect information using specialised payloads and sensors.
Depending on the final technical configuration, such a platform could potentially integrate technologies such as:
- Ground or snow-penetrating sensing systems
- Radar-based detection
- Thermal or infrared imaging
- Radio-frequency detection
- Advanced imaging sensors
- AI and machine learning algorithms
- GPS and geospatial mapping
- Real-time data transmission to rescue teams
It is important to note that the exact sensor configuration and final technical specifications of this specific ₹67 lakh project are not detailed in the publicly available project listing. Therefore, the final system should not be assumed to use every one of these technologies. The broader objective, however, is clear: use a drone-based platform to speed up the detection and location of humans trapped beneath snow.
How the Proposed System Could Work
A drone-based search-and-rescue mission may follow a process similar to the following:
1. Rapid Deployment After an Avalanche
Immediately after an avalanche or snow-collapse incident, a drone can be launched from a relatively safe location.
The UAV can quickly reach areas that may be difficult or dangerous for rescuers to access on foot.
2. Systematic Scanning of the Avalanche Zone
The drone can fly across the affected area using pre-planned routes or autonomous navigation.
Its onboard sensors can scan the surface and, depending on the technology used, attempt to identify anomalies or signals associated with objects or humans beneath the snow.
3. Data Collection and Processing
The sensor data can be transmitted to a ground control station.
This is where AI-based analysis could become particularly important. Large areas of snow may contain rocks, ice formations, equipment, buried structures and other objects. Intelligent software could potentially help distinguish significant anomalies from background noise.
4. Identification of Possible Human Locations
The system could generate potential coordinates or search zones.
Rather than asking rescue teams to search an entire avalanche field manually, the technology could help them prioritise specific locations.
5. Guided Rescue Operations
Once a probable location is identified, rescue teams can move to the area with appropriate equipment.
The drone may also continue to provide:
- Live aerial video
- Mapping support
- Route information
- Terrain awareness
- Monitoring of rescue operations
This combination could transform the drone from a simple surveillance platform into an important decision-support tool for avalanche rescue teams.
Drone-Mounted Ground Penetrating Radar: A Relevant Indian Example
The concept of using drones to detect objects below the surface has already been demonstrated in Indian disaster-response operations.
During a landslide rescue operation in Lachen, Sikkim, the Indian Army used a drone-mounted Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) system to scan beneath debris. According to a Government of India reply in Parliament, the system identified two sub-surface anomalies at depths of approximately 0.76 metres and 0.015 metres, supporting the rescue operation.
This is significant because it demonstrates the operational value of combining:
Drone mobility + specialised sensing + real-time location data
The Sikkim operation involved debris rather than an identical snow environment, so the technology should not automatically be treated as the same system as the ADB-funded snow project. Nevertheless, it provides a practical example of how UAV-mounted sensing technology can help search teams identify objects hidden below the visible surface.
Importance for the Indian Army
The Indian Army operates extensively in some of the world’s most difficult high-altitude environments. In such areas, an avalanche can threaten not only individual soldiers but also entire posts, shelters, camps and logistics locations.
The Army’s innovation documents have previously identified “Module for Locating Humans Trapped in Snow” as an important technology requirement, showing that the problem has been recognised as an operational priority for several years.
A successful drone-based solution could offer several advantages.
Faster Search
A UAV can cover a large area faster than a ground team operating through deep snow.
Reduced Risk to Rescue Personnel
Rescue teams may not need to enter the most dangerous areas until a probable target location has been identified.
Better Use of Limited Resources
Instead of deploying personnel randomly across a large avalanche zone, commanders could focus manpower and equipment on high-probability locations.
Improved Situational Awareness
Live aerial imagery and geospatial information can help commanders understand:
- The extent of the avalanche
- Terrain changes
- Access routes
- Dangerous zones
- Possible locations of buried personnel
Potential for 24/7 Operations
If the final system includes suitable sensors and night-capable imaging, it could potentially support operations in poor visibility or darkness, subject to weather and operational limitations.
AI Could Become a Key Part of the System
One of the biggest challenges in any buried-object detection system is interpreting sensor data accurately.
Raw data may contain numerous anomalies caused by:
- Uneven snow layers
- Ice
- Rocks
- Equipment
- Metal objects
- Natural terrain formations
- Changes in snow density
Artificial intelligence and machine learning can potentially analyse large volumes of sensor information and identify patterns associated with a possible human presence.
An AI-enabled system could potentially:
- Analyse incoming sensor signals.
- Compare them with known patterns.
- Filter out environmental noise.
- Mark suspicious locations.
- Assign confidence levels to possible detections.
- Generate a digital search map for rescue teams.
However, such AI systems would need extensive testing under different snow conditions before they could be relied upon operationally.
Why Thermal Cameras Alone May Not Be Enough
Thermal cameras are extremely useful for detecting people on the surface or in partially exposed locations. However, deep snow can significantly reduce the effectiveness of thermal detection because snow acts as an insulating layer.
This creates a need for technologies capable of detecting something beneath the snow rather than simply observing heat signatures on the surface.
That is why a multi-sensor approach may be more effective than depending on a single technology.
A future drone platform could potentially combine visual imaging with another detection method, allowing one sensor to complement the limitations of another.
Technical Challenges the Project Must Overcome
Developing such a system for Indian Army conditions will not be easy.
Extreme Cold
Electronic equipment, batteries and sensors must operate reliably in very low temperatures.
High Altitude
Drone performance can be affected at high altitude because of lower air density. Payload capacity and flight endurance may also be reduced.
Snow Penetration
Different snow conditions—fresh snow, compacted snow, wet snow and layered ice—can affect the performance of detection technologies.
Wind and Bad Weather
High-altitude regions can experience strong winds, snowfall and rapidly changing weather.
False Positives
The system must distinguish a human from rocks, equipment, buried structures or other anomalies.
Battery Endurance
Search operations may cover large areas, making flight endurance a critical factor.
Accurate Location
Detecting an anomaly is only useful if the rescue team receives sufficiently accurate coordinates and, ideally, an estimate of depth.
These challenges mean that the final product must be rugged, lightweight, accurate and easy to deploy in operational conditions.
A Potential Multi-Layer Search Strategy
The most effective future approach may involve combining several technologies rather than replacing existing rescue methods completely.
A possible rescue workflow could be:
Step 1: Drone reconnaissance
Rapid aerial mapping of the avalanche area.
Step 2: Sensor-based scanning
Use specialised payloads to identify possible buried objects or human signatures.
Step 3: AI-based analysis
Process sensor information and identify high-probability locations.
Step 4: Ground verification
Deploy rescue personnel with specialised detection equipment.
Step 5: Targeted excavation
Begin rescue operations at the most likely locations.
Step 6: Medical evacuation
Provide immediate treatment and evacuation once the victim is recovered.
Such an approach could reduce the amount of time spent searching blindly and help rescue teams concentrate on the areas where a victim is most likely to be located.
Previous Indian Efforts to Improve Avalanche Rescue
India has been working on technologies for locating personnel trapped during avalanche incidents for several years.
A 2017 Ministry of Defence response stated that an avalanche-specific system was under development to detect the location of soldiers trapped under avalanche snow and also assess health status to help prioritise search operations.
More recent Indian Army innovation efforts have continued to focus on indigenous solutions for locating humans trapped beneath snow. The ADB’s earlier project list specifically included a “Module for Locating Humans Trapped in Snow,” while the current research project takes the concept further through a drone-based approach.
This reflects a broader effort to apply emerging technologies to operational problems faced by troops in high-altitude areas.
Strategic Importance Beyond Military Operations
Although the project is funded by the Army Design Bureau, Indian Army, the underlying technology could potentially have applications beyond military operations.
Similar systems may eventually be useful for:
- Avalanche rescue operations
- Disaster response
- Search operations in mountainous regions
- Landslide and debris searches
- Border infrastructure emergencies
- Civilian rescue missions in remote areas
The 2025 avalanche rescue operations in Uttarakhand also demonstrated the importance of combining multiple technologies, including drones, thermal imaging and other specialised search equipment, when conventional methods are insufficient in extreme terrain.
Project Funding and Timeline
| Project | Funding Agency | Funding | Duration |
| Locating Trapped Humans Under Snow Using Drones | Army Design Bureau (ADB), Indian Army | ₹67 lakh | 2024–2026 |
The publicly available project listing identifies the project as an ongoing funded initiative for the 2024–2026 period.
Conclusion
The “Locating Trapped Humans Under Snow Using Drones” project represents an important attempt to bring UAV technology, advanced sensing and intelligent data analysis into one of the most difficult areas of military and disaster rescue operations.
For soldiers deployed in avalanche-prone and high-altitude regions, the time required to locate a person buried beneath snow can be critical. A drone capable of rapidly scanning an affected area and directing rescuers towards probable locations could significantly improve situational awareness while reducing the risk and search burden on ground teams.
With ₹67 lakh funding from the Army Design Bureau (ADB), Indian Army, and a project period extending from 2024 to 2026, the initiative highlights India’s continuing focus on indigenous defence innovation and technology-driven solutions for real operational challenges.
If successfully developed and validated under harsh field conditions, this technology could become a valuable addition to future avalanche rescue, high-altitude military operations and disaster-response missions, helping rescuers answer the most urgent question after a major snow disaster:
Where is the trapped person—and how quickly can we reach them?