Italy: Hiker missing for a Year found thanks to AI

Wednesday 06 August 2025 - 11:30

After nearly a year of disappearance in the Italian Alps, a 64-year-old doctor has finally been found thanks to the use of a drone and, especially, the sharp eye of an artificial intelligence software. The AI tool identified his hiking helmet in a vast mountain area covering more than 180 hectares.

On July 31, 2025, the Italian National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps (CNSAS) announced the location of Dr. Nicola Ivaldo’s body. He had been missing since September 2024 during a climb of Monte Viso, the highest peak of the Cottian Alps. His body was found at approximately 3,150 meters above sea level, on the northern slope of the massif, about 600 meters below the summit.

A barely visible hiking helmet caught rescuers’ attention. After collecting 2,600 aerial photographs with two drones flying around 50 meters above the ground, the images were analyzed by AI software specialized in color and shape detection.

“The AI detected a few pixels with a different shade in a difficult-to-access area. Without it, this would have taken weeks or even months,” explained Saverio Isola, drone pilot at CNSAS. Within hours, the system generated a list of “suspect points” to inspect on the ground. The next morning, the team confirmed the helmet belonged to the missing hiker.

The entire operation—search, location, visual confirmation, and recovery—lasted only three days despite one day of bad weather that temporarily delayed the rescue.

This mission is part of a rigorous method developed by CNSAS in collaboration with ENAC, the Italian Civil Aviation Agency. For five years, Italian mountain rescue teams have been using drones, and for the past eighteen months, AI-assisted visual analysis tools.

As Isola emphasized, technology does not replace human teams: “AI is useless without technicians. We are a team, and it’s this collective spirit that makes these rescues possible.”

Data from Nicola Ivaldo’s mobile phone, along with the expertise of four experienced rescuers, were also crucial to guide the aerial search.

CNSAS now aims to go further by combining fixed image analysis with thermal data to detect not only objects but also living beings. “AI can process infrared data in just a few hours,” said Isola. This advance could be decisive for finding missing people still alive.

This operation recalls the rescue efforts after the Marmolada glacier tragedy, where technology helped locate objects and bodies in inaccessible areas without endangering ground teams.

By continuously improving these methods, CNSAS hopes to reduce the number of mountain fatalities. “Our mission is to save lives and prevent the mountain from becoming a stage for avoidable tragedies,” concluded Isola.