Signal in the Dark

A one-page Three.js experiment comparing two simplified strategies:

Sweep searchlight: the rescuer moves through an expanding search pattern and must illuminate the missing person.

Raise beacon: the rescuer stays put while a mobile missing person tries to recognize and approach an omnidirectional light.

Run

Open http://localhost:8080.

The page imports Three.js from a pinned CDN URL, so the first load needs internet access.

Experiment

Use the presets first:

Mobile hiker usually favors the beacon.

Injured makes the stationary beacon ineffective because the missing person cannot approach it.

Dense forest increases line-of-sight occlusion and can produce mixed results.

Run the Monte Carlo comparison after each change. Both strategies receive the same random worlds and starting positions.

Important limitation

This is a conceptual toy model, not validated search-and-rescue guidance. It intentionally isolates a few variables and omits weather, terrain elevation, batteries, sound, radios, group behavior, panic, injuries, and official rescue protocols.