Disasters : drones capable of detecting signs of life

conceptw/epictura

Published the 29.09.2017 at 11h23

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After an earthquake or a hurricane, a race against the clock snaps to find survivors under the rubble. If today, the dogs come to the aid of rescuers, in the future, the drones could accompany them. Engineers from the university of South Australia have developed flying objects capable to identify the vital signs in a situation of war or natural disaster. They present their innovation in BioMedical Engineering OnLine.

The university team has developed these drones in partnership with the advanced research group in the defence of australia. Their work has primarily been to develop a camera that can detect the heart rate and respiratory rate, and this, at a altitude of 3 metres.

As effective as ECG

The cameras detect, in fact, variations in skin color and small head movements. Settings are easy to analyze and can monitor just the state of health of the victims of disasters, explain the researchers.

The team of prof Javaan Chahl has tested this technology on 15 healthy individuals aged 2 to 40 years. The experiments have been carried out both inside and outside. Result : the cameras get the same performance than the classical methods such as the electrocardiogram or the pulse oximeter to evaluate the oxygen levels in the blood. “This is the first time that video taken by a drone come to measure the signs cardiorespiratory,” enthuses the Pr Javaan Chahl.

Spot the terrorist

These drones can help police to detect terrorists in public places based on abnormalities of their heart rate, imagine the person responsible for the work. “In effect, a person who prepares to commit acts of violence this very definitely vital signs irregular. They are more agitated or appear to be abnormally quiet, because in many cases, they are under medication. There is a good chance that our device identifies them, ” explains the engineer.

The research team also suggests that this camera system could replace the electrodes in the hospitals, particularly in the services of neonatology, where premature babies are connected to many machines. In Switzerland, a research project is currently assessing the interest to monitor the babies with cameras. “I think that these devices will be used every day in ten years “, hope the Pr Chahl.