WATCH: Corona Fire Department uses Doodle Labs mesh radios for MANET in simulated search and rescue

In early 2024, members of the Corona Fire Department and mesh networking company Doodle Labs gathered near the Skyline Drive Trailhead in Corona, California, just east of Anaheim.

The groups set out to perform a simulated search and rescue mission in the mountainous area, which is a popular area for hikers but has rugged terrain and very spotty LTE coverage.

To stay connected, coordinate a response and locate a hidden mannequin standing in as a distressed hiker who has called in to 911 but has since gone unresponsive, the Corona FD team deployed ground teams, a mobile UTV and a drone, all connected through a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) powered by Doodle Labs mesh radios and supporting the use of situational awareness tool ATAK.

Using TAK and thanks to connectivity provided by Doodle Labs mesh radios in-hand and mounted to the department’s vehicles on the scene, the group was able to share location data, send voice comms, videos and photos and broadcast a drone video feed across the entire team on their own Samsung devices without utilizing LTE. Using Doodle Labs’ Network Extension feature, they were then able to backhaul into a Starlink unit on a response vehicle at the base of the foothills and further share all the data into their cloud-based TAK server.

In the end, Doodle Labs’ mesh MANET sped up the coordinated search and rescue response and led to a positive outcome even in an otherwise disconnected environment.

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