In some remote parts of the world, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are already being field-tested for medical uses. Drones successfully delivered small aid packages after the Haitian earthquake in 2012, and in Papua New Guinea, Doctors Without Borders used them to transport dummy TB test samples from a remote village to the large coastal city of Kerema.
Category Archives: First Responders
Lifeguard Drones Tested in Chile
A company in Chile is hoping to use drones to save lives. Drones fitted with a float, camera, microphone and speaker are being tested on the beaches of Algarrobo to help lifeguards rescue distressed swimmers. Continue reading
American Millionaire using Unmanned Helicopters to Rescue African Migrants at Sea
Christopher Catrambone is an immigrant himself, having moved his family to Malta from his native New Orleans to flee the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Last year, he and his wife Regina say they invested “nearly 50 per cent of our savings” — $US7.5 million — to purchase a 130-foot search and rescue ship, two drones and two inflatable boats, then put them to sea complete with a crew of technical and medical experts. Continue reading
UAS to Assess Disaster Damage
Doug Stow, a geography professor from San Diego State University, is developing a programme that uses before-and-after aerial imagery to reveal infrastructure damage in a matter of minutes. Continue reading
Autonomous Quadcopter for Fire-Fighting Inside Ships
In a demonstration aboard a former U.S. Navy ship, a small quadrotor developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute and spin-off company Sensible Machines flew autonomously through dark, smoke-filled compartments to map fires and locate victims. Continue reading
Norway Wants UAS to aid Search and Rescue
As Norway’s polar waters open to development, that country’s lawmakers are becoming increasingly convinced that drones could serve as a potentially life-saving tool in the event of a maritime accident. Members of the Storting, Norway’s national assembly, gathered representatives from the industry last week to discuss how drones take over operations currently performed by manned aircraft.
UAVs for Emergency Rescue
Drone America and American Medical Response (AMR) have announced a partnership that aims to bring Unmanned Autonomous Systems (UAS) to the EMS industry. By leveraging UAS technologies, AMR’s specialty teams would be able to provide swifter and safer rescue operations in dangerous situations such as disaster response, mountain rescue and swift water rescues. Continue reading
Drone Lifesaver Drops Flotation Device to Swimmers
Lifesaving drones could rescue swimmers in distress in a hi-tech pitch to reduce drownings across Australia. Victorian paramedic Robin Lowe has developed a prototype that can hover and release a flotation device in less time than it takes a rescue crew to respond.