Two Israelis in the country’s periphery have taken on a pressing challenge in modern rescue and defense operations: autonomous drone navigation at low altitudes. Their breakthrough could support troops and civilian organizations that operate drones in urban combat zones and disaster-stricken areas to provide life-saving support.
Capt. (res.) Noe Mignolet, a native of Kibbutz Nir Oz and a graduate of Sapir Academic College, knows firsthand the urgency of rapid response. His community was among those devastated on October 7, with family members killed, wounded, and taken hostage during the Hamas assault. Alongside Ofir Biton from Dimona, Mignolet channeled his knowledge and experience into a technological solution that could save lives where seconds matter.
Navigating the urban maze
Despite the promise of drone technology, low-altitude flights are notoriously difficult and present unique challenges. Israel’s dense urban centers, military activity, and complex airspace coordination make such drone operations particularly risky. And when rescue forces face crowded terrain, disrupted aerial lines of sight, and limited response windows, it can make even basic deliveries, like a defibrillator or medical kit, immensely complex.
“Everyone’s working on drones these days – it’s fashionable,” Mignolet told The Jerusalem Post. “But we wanted to do something that hadn’t been done yet.”
So, rather than focusing on the drone hardware itself, the duo tackled the problem of trajectory planning. Their system, developed under the project name SkyOps, enables drones to autonomously navigate at building-height altitudes, maneuvering through dense urban environments without manual control.
Smart, simple, and fast
The technology is designed for simplicity and speed in crowded environments. Whether it’s delivering ammunition to a unit in combat or medical supplies to a civilian in distress, the system can generate a safe and efficient flight plan in minutes.
SkyOps is based on real-time route planning, requires no manual control, and is specifically designed for fast and autonomous arrival at a target location. The system allows an operator to define a polygon on the map, marking takeoff and landing zones, as well as no-fly areas. Nevertheless, the maneuvering system does rely on GPS, meaning it cannot function in GPS-denied environments, a limitation the team acknowledges.
Still, for urban missions where GPS is available, the technology offers a game-changing solution. While they haven’t yet partnered with organizations like the IDF, Magen David Adom, or civilian emergency services, the potential applications are vast.
“Imagine someone has a heart attack in Tel Aviv,” Mignolet explained. “Our system can instantly build a route and send a drone carrying a defibrillator directly to the individual.”
From classroom to combat zone
The idea was born in late 2024, while Mignolet and Biton were studying computer science at Sapir Academic College in Sderot under the supervision of Dr. Nurit Gal-Oz. Despite the challenges of the past year, including personal loss and regional instability, they completed their degrees with honors and brought their vision to life.
Dr. Gadi Solotorevsky, head of Sapir’s Computer Science Department, was proud of his students’ work, telling the Post that “this project, developed as a final project in the Computer Science Department, demonstrates how the strong theoretical foundation acquired during studies can be combined with deep familiarity with real-world challenges to create groundbreaking innovation. We are very proud of our students, Noe Mignolet and Ofir Biton, and of the creativity and originality they displayed in this work.”
Now, with a fully functional prototype, the system is expected to be submitted for the pres