Lucknow: In a first, Lucknow Police has turned to drone technology to provide relief and security to residents of flood-hit Faizullaganj, where submerged lanes have made conventional patrolling difficult and forced some families to leave their homes.Equipped with a lighting system, live-surveillance camera and public address system, the drone is performing three functions at once: illuminating waterlogged streets, keeping watch over deserted homes and broadcasting messages to residents stranded by floodwaters. It can also carry up to 10kg of relief supplies to areas that are difficult to access on foot.Deployed in collaboration with Delhi-based robotics startup Aevon Dynamics, the Modular Aerial Policing Drone (MAPD) enables police to continue patrolling after dark, when ground movement becomes difficult.“UP Police is here to help you. Dial 112 in case of any emergency,” the drone announces as it flies over the flooded locality, carrying the police’s message to residents stranded on upper floors and rooftops.“The announcements are intended not only to provide emergency information but also to reassure residents who may otherwise feel isolated in the darkness,” said DCP North Amit K Anand.Yawar Sayeed, founder of Aevon Dynamics and an incubatee at Delhi Technological University, said the drone’s distinguishing feature was its ability to combine lighting, surveillance and communication in a single aircraft.The lighting module can illuminate around 400 square metres at a time, while the speaker system can cover approximately 2,500 square metres. Its onboard camera streams live footage to the police control room, allowing personnel to monitor rooftops, narrow lanes and waterlogged compounds that are difficult to access from the ground.BOXFrom night patrols to relief dropsWith an advertised payload capacity of 10 kg and an all-up weight of 24 kg, the drone can also transport relief supplies to residents cut off by floodwater. Police personnel can then use boats to reach stranded families, deliver assistance and carry out rescue operations.Anand, who is overseeing the police response in the affected area, said the deployment was part of a broader effort to maintain surveillance and assist residents in flood-hit pockets where movement remained restricted.Sayeed said Aevon Dynamics had been working with UP Police on drone technology for about a year. He added that the team was also developing a separate drone capable of lifting a person weighing up to 100kg, a project that remains in the pipeline with the police.
