Leveraging 5G-NR for Finding Mobile Devices with UAVs: Latency vs Accuracy Trade-Off

Rapid and accurate localization of individuals during search-and-rescue (SAR) missions is essential for reducing casualties in emergencies. Traditional methods often struggle in disaster scenarios, where obstacles like debris or dense foliage hinder performance, and reliance on user-side actions proves impractical for mission-critical operations. This paper presents a novel approach that leverages a 5G-new radio (NR)-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) localization framework, integrating hybrid techniques with adaptive clustering strategies to localize user equipments (UEs). Unlike traditional methods, our system dynamically adjusts its trajectory to balance latency and accuracy, achieving UEs positioning accuracy within tens of centimeters during simulation tests. By integrating 5G-NR technology into UAV-based localization, our approach provides a robust and scalable solution for mission-critical SAR operations, significantly enhancing the latency and reliability of locating individuals in emergency situations.