Every mountain Search and Rescue operation in Hong Kong is a race against time. Each mission typically mobilises more than a hundred personnel from multiple departments, including the police, the fire service, and the Civil Aid Service—and may involve up to two hundred people working around the clock within the “golden 72 hours.”

For rescuers, the hardest moment is not traversing steep ridges or crossing deep valleys, but breaking news to family that their loved one has not survived. 

In recent years, the Hong Kong Government has begun to introduce drones to assist in Search and Rescue operations. Chen Benmei (Ben), Professor and Chairman of the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong and an IEEE fellow, is now collaborating with the police to develop an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) system that is not only more precise, but fully automated. “We are so lucky,” he says, “that this collaboration exposes us to real‑world challenges, which have driven us to develop solutions that truly work.” 

With more than two decades of research experience in unmanned systems, Ben joined CUHK from Singapore in 2018. Since then, he has developed a deep affection for Hong Kong’s natural landscapes. From verdant mountain trails to skyscrapers, from ecological conservation to mountain rescue operations, his drones traverse these landscapes. As he explains, building a drone itself is not the hardest part. The real challenge lies in system design—crafting solutions that can adapt to unique demands of each application. In this issue of CUbicZine, we speak with Professor Chen to explore the unexpected possibilities that lie beneath the sky. 

Since 2023, Ben’s drone research team has joined the Hong Kong Ocean Park Conservation Foundation’s Horseshoe Crab Population Survey, developing unmanned systems to track juvenile horseshoe crabs. The project also connected the team with Kevin Laurie (far right), Programme Officer of the IUCN Horseshoe Crab Specialist Group and a retired Senior Superintendent of the Hong Kong Police Force. (Source: Ocean Park Conservation Foundation)

The Mountain Search Challenge: Finding Those Who Are Lost

In March, CUHK drone research team led by Professor Ben Chen and Professor Xi Chen  conducted a demonstration in Discovery Bay, showcasing how unmanned systems can assist in search and rescue operations.

Full article: 【CUbicZine Issue 43】Flying Over Mountains and Seas Chen Benmei’s Drones in the Race to Save Lives and Nature