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AI aids recovery of missing climber in Piemonte mountains
Rescue teams in northern Italy used artificial intelligence to pinpoint the body of Nicola Ivaldo, a 66-year-old orthopaedic surgeon and experienced climber, nearly ten months after he vanished in the Cottian Alps. The discovery highlights the growing role of AI in search-and-rescue operations.
Initial search fails as weather turns
Ivaldo was reported missing in September 2024 after he failed to appear at his Turin hospital. His car was found parked near Castello di Pontechianale, a village in Valle Varaita, suggesting he had set out to climb either Monviso (3,841m) or Visolotto (3,348m). The last signal from his mobile phone placed him in the area.
Over fifty rescuers and a helicopter scoured the rugged terrain for a week, but early snowfall forced them to abandon the search. Simone Bobbio, spokesperson for the Piemonte Mountain and Speleological Rescue Service, noted that Ivaldo, a skilled mountaineer, had likely taken a remote route, avoiding the more crowded paths.
Drones and AI narrow the search
In July 2025, as snow melted, rescuers resumed the search-this time with AI-assisted drones. Two drones captured over 2,600 high-resolution images across 183 hectares of Monviso's north face. The AI software, trained to detect anomalies in terrain, analyzed the photos in hours, flagging three potential sites, including one with a red object.
"The software identified the red helmet even though it was in shadow," Bobbio said. The next day, rescuers confirmed the object was Ivaldo's helmet, leading them to his body at 3,150m in a gully. Without the AI, Bobbio added, the body might never have been found.
How the technology works
Saverio Isola, a drone pilot and chief of the Turin mountain rescue station, explained that the AI scans for color or texture disruptions in the landscape. While effective, it still requires human oversight to filter false positives, such as plastic debris or unusual rocks.
"The software can 'hallucinate' anomalies," Isola said. "We narrowed the results by considering Ivaldo's likely climbing routes."
Drones proved critical, covering terrain inaccessible to helicopters. Pilots had trained in the area for months, refining their approach to steep gullies and rock faces.
AI's expanding role in search-and-rescue
This isn't the first successful use of AI in such operations. In 2021, Polish software SARUAV located a missing 65-year-old man with Alzheimer's in the Beskid Niski mountains within four hours. Similar technology later found a body in the Austrian Alps and a hillwalker in Scotland's Glen Etive.
However, challenges remain. Dense forests, low visibility, and complex terrain can confuse AI algorithms. Tomasz Niedzielski, developer of SARUAV, noted that open wilderness yields the best results, while karst landscapes, like those in Croatia, produce too many false positives.
Future improvements and ethical concerns
Researchers are working to enhance AI's accuracy and real-time capabilities. Daniele Giordan of Italy's IRPI is developing software to provide precise geo-referenced locations for AI-flagged anomalies, streamlining verification.
"The future challenge is to analyze images onboard drones during flights," Giordan said. "This could allow real-time adjustments during searches."
Ethical concerns persist, particularly regarding the use of aerial imagery. Giordan emphasized the need for responsible data handling, as identifying human shapes in photos raises legal questions.
Other innovations include predictive AI, like a University of Glasgow system that simulates lost-person behavior to guide search efforts. Such tools could prove vital in forests or other difficult terrains where drones struggle.
Balancing speed and resources
With rescue teams often racing against time and limited resources, AI offers a promising solution. While not a replacement for traditional methods, it can significantly reduce search times, increasing the chances of saving lives.
For Ivaldo's family, the technology brought closure-albeit too late. For future missing persons, it may mean the difference between life and death.
