Ambulance Drone flies to the rescue
Drone-defibrillator – ambulance in case of sudden cardiac arrest
DailyTechInfo based on Gizmag – In a heartbeat: Ambulance Drone designed to cut cardiac arrest response timesWhen it comes to heart attacks that have led to sudden cardiac arrests, every minute of delay dramatically reduces the chance of the affected person to survive.
In the best case, the time from the moment of a heart attack to the arrival of an ambulance can be about 10 minutes, while after five to six minutes irreversible changes begin to occur in the brain of a person who does not receive oxygen. Alec Momont, a graduate student from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, has come up with a very simple solution to the problem of first aid in cardiac arrest. He has developed an unmanned aerial vehicle Ambulance Drone, which has a built-in defibrillator and communication equipment with which a medical specialist can direct the actions of ordinary people who are near the injured person.
"According to available statistics, in the countries of the European Union, about 800 thousand people suffer seizures and sudden cardiac arrest every year. Of these 800 thousand, only about 8 percent survive, and the rest of the help simply does not have time to get there in time," says Alek Momont, "The drone I developed, capable of flying at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, can cover an area of 12 square kilometers in standby mode, providing a time of arrival to the scene of about 1 minute. And this will already increase the chance of survival of the victim from 8 to 80 percent."
The design of the Ambulance Drone is designed in such a way that, in addition to the defibrillator, it can carry a set of ready-to-use medicines. Thanks to the appearance of a compact implementation of automatic defibrillation technology (Automated External Defibrillators, AEDS), a unique design made of lightweight carbon plastic, and powerful rotors, the Ambulance Drone is able to carry a universal "first aid kit" weighing 4 kilograms, plus another 4 kilograms of other additional cargo.
But the most important thing in the design of the Ambulance Drone is not a defibrillator and a first aid kit. The main role is played by the navigation and communication system built into it. The navigation system allows the device to independently find the phone number of the person who contacted the ambulance service, and "at full speed" arrive at the scene.
The camera built into the device transmits live video to the control center, where a qualified medical specialist is located. Sound equipment allows the medic to hear everything that is happening around the patient, what people around the victim tell him, and instruct people who will provide first aid to the victim with a defibrillator and medications.
"Currently, only 20 percent of ordinary people who have not undergone special training are able to successfully use a defibrillator," says Alek Momont, "Under the guidance of an experienced medic, 90 percent of people can successfully cope with this task. In addition, the calm voice of a specialist giving clear and simple instructions will reduce the panic that has arisen around the injured person."
But, until the moment when the Ambulance Drone drones will be able to take part in saving human lives, it will take quite a long time. The whole point is that in the Netherlands and in some other European countries, the law prohibits the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in urban conditions for any purpose. Nevertheless, the development of Alec Momont has already aroused some interest in the medical sector, which allows us to hope that such drones will still appear at the disposal of doctors in those countries where the laws are not so strict.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru03.12.2014