Autonomous Drone Gravesite Virtual Visitation System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Grieving individuals face challenges in visiting gravesites due to adverse health, inclement weather, and restricted cemetery operating hours, limiting their ability to physically interact with gravesites.
Innovation Solution
A drone system equipped with a video camera, microphone, and speaker, controlled by a processing system with telecommunication capabilities, allows for virtual visits to gravesites, enabling autonomous travel, image recognition, and interaction, while also including features like illumination and obstacle avoidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If physical visitation to gravesites is required, then emotional connection and commemoration are achieved, but accessibility is limited by health conditions, weather, and operating hours
Solution Approach 1:
A drone is introduced as an intermediary device that physically travels to the gravesite and transmits real-time video and audio back to the user's computing device. This mediator enables remote visitation by bridging the physical gap between the user and the gravesite, allowing commemoration activities without direct physical presence
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical human travel to the cemetery with an automated drone system. The drone autonomously navigates to the gravesite, eliminates the need for human physical presence, and provides virtual visitation capabilities through electronic transmission of visual and auditory information
2Adaptability or versatility
If cemetery operating hours are restricted, then security and maintenance are improved, but visitation flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The drone system operates autonomously without requiring cemetery staff presence during visitation. The automated navigation, gravesite positioning, and video transmission capabilities enable the system to serve users independently, extending visitation hours beyond traditional cemetery operating times without increasing management complexity
3Productivity
If additional cemetery staff are hired to extend operating hours, then visitation accessibility is improved, but operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces human staff with an automated drone system that provides visitation services. The drone's autonomous capabilities eliminate the need for additional cemetery employees to extend operating hours, maintaining service availability while avoiding increased labor costs and staff requirements
4Ease of operation
If drones are deployed for virtual visits, then remote access is enabled, but navigation to specific gravesites becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-maps the cemetery layout and stores gravitational coordinates for multiple gravesites before operation. This preliminary preparation allows the drone to quickly navigate to any designated gravesite without real-time complex searching, enabling users to simply select from a list of pre-identified locations
Solution Approach 2:
The drone is designed with multi-functional capabilities including autonomous navigation, obstacle detection and avoidance, real-time video transmission, and audio communication. This universal design allows a single device to handle all aspects of virtual visitation, from location finding to emotional connection
Data Source
AI summary
Implementations of a system for facilitating a virtual visit to a gravesite may include a drone including a video camera, a microphone, and a speaker; and a control system associated with a cemetery. The control system may be configured to receive, from a computing device associated with a user, a request for a virtual visit to a gravesite, calculate a travel path for the drone to the gravesite from a base location located at the cemetery; initiate autonomous travel by the drone along the travel path; confirm arrival of the drone; while at the gravesite, transmit video and audio of the gravesite from the camera and microphone of the drone to the computing device associated with the user using the telecommunication channel; while at the gravesite, transmit audio from the computing device associated with the user from the speaker of the drone; and return the drone to the base location.