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Rescue Robots Get Medical Sensors
Video and Photos --> Please credit Bob
Younger.
For more information contact: Dr. Robin Murphy
[murphy@csee.usf.edu]
In the first major advance in rescue robot technology
since 9/11, scientists working under the direction
of the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue
(CRASAR) at the University of South Florida have
verified that three inexpensive, non-invasive
medical sensors can be used by robots in the field
to determine whether a victim is dead or alive.
The preliminary field trials used the same type
of robots deployed at the WTC to carry the sensors.
In one of the trials, a robot also delivered fluids
to a human via flexible tubing. The findings suggest
that robots can help rescuers confirm the state
of a victim and care for those trapped deep within
rubble. The assessment was conducted at the USMC
Chemical Biological Incident Response Force's
test facilities at Stump Neck, Maryland, just
south of Washington, DC, from Aug. 14 through
Aug. 16. The research was sponsored by the Office
of Naval Research through a subcontract to the
Center for Disaster Mitigation and Humanitarian
Assistance, also at the University of South Florida.
The scientists are now moving forward to package
the sensors and begin more formal field trials.
It is expected that this technology could become
available to emergency responders, police, and
the military within 18 months with additional
funding.
Determining a victim's life signs is a
crucial first step in a rescue. According to FEMA statistics, rescuing a victim
that turns out to be dead may take 10 rescuers up to 10 hours, diverting
valuable resources from other people who could be saved. The problem is
expected to be more difficult during a chemical, biological, or radiological
incident because the Marine Corp responders must wear heavy rubber suits and
thick gloves as part of their protective gear. The protective gear prevents
reading a pulse and makes it difficult to bend over and check the life-signs of
a person. In addition, Emergency Responders themselves may be injured during an
incident and their protective gear makes it difficult for their colleagues to
judge their condition.
CRASAR was selected to evaluate the
life-sensor trials because they organized and coordinated the use of robots
used at the World Trade Center to find the remains of a large number of
victims. That experience was used in the development of these trials. Prof.
Robin Murphy, director of CRASAR, and four USF graduate students worked with
Navy Commander Eric Rasmussen, MD, FACP - a physician and international
instructor in disaster and humanitarian medicine - along with representatives
from the bioinformatics company, MindTel, the Eastern Carolina University
Telemedicine Center, and other CRASAR members.
"Before now, a trained rescuer had to
watch the view from the robot and try to guess whether a person was dead or
alive. Within 18 months we could have a whole suite of sensors under $500 that
could make a quick, accurate determination," said Prof. Murphy. The
sensors are intended to be a snap-on payload for the robots. Off the robots,
they are expected to be useful to emergency medical personnel, including on the
battlefield.
In a collapsed building, maintenance of the
victim while the teams are excavating them is difficult, and water is a
critical component for survival, said CDR Rasmussen. He stated that once a
robot carries a flexible tube down to a person trapped deep in rubble, air,
water, or medications can be pumped in and that's a life-saving intervention.
The field trials showed that three sensors
were effective in determining the difference between unconscious and dead: the
measuring of exhaled carbon dioxide, the measurement of oxygen content in
circulating blood, and the detection of variation in heat during breathing.
Capnography, for carbon dioxide detection, was able to clearly detect breathing
several feet away - even through a gas mask. SpO2 sensing of blood oxygen
content required only the pressing of a small, cool, red light on any bare inch
of skin and every site tried worked, from the back of the neck to the outside
of an ankle.
The Forward-Looking Infrared Camera (FLIR)
showed temperature variations with breathing and worked very well, with simple
indicators linked to a laptop computer. These three sensors were successful
(out of six medical sensors tried - three others were NOT successful), and
their further development will be pursued as soon as support can be found.
Videos & Photos
Videos are available in MPEG format [below] and on miniDV Tapes.
Pictures below are in JPEG format and more
are available.
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