Are you ready for Ambulance Drones?

[FSogol]

How do you improve emergency medical response times in ever crowded cities? A team of graduate students in the Netherlands think drones could be the answer. Alec Momont, a graduate student at TU Delft in the Netherlands, has shared details of his completed masters thesis outlining a concept for an ambulance drone capable of delivering treatment in emergency situations, even indoors. “This drone emergency service would complement existing services (ambulances, police and fire departments) with aerial on-demand support,” Momont said in his thesis report.

Essentially a flying toolbox, the first prototype drone is capable of delivering an automated defibrillator (AED) to the point of care along with real-time instructions and communication with a emergency care professional to guide the layperson through the process. AEDs are the same type of defibrillators seen in gyms, malls, and other public places because they can be easily used by bystanders. Once someone has dialed 9-1-1 (or 1-1-2 in the Netherlands) a drone would be dispatched to their location by an operator where it would provide supplies, as well as real-time video and audio support from an emergency professional.

Whole article from Chris Wiltz of Design News here:
http://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=275552

#t=53

[enlightenment]

1. Maybe they can add some

plastic wrap and duct tape for sucking chest wounds, too . . .


This is an interesting idea, but I'm not sure of the efficacy - particularly since they neglected to tell the girl in the video where to place the pads (not to mention that you can't always "shock" someone back to life - which would make for an even more traumatic moment for the layperson).

[FSogol]

2. Have you ever used the public defibrillators they have in buildings?

They have them is a govt bldgs, schools, and libraries around here. They speak and tell you exactly what to do. I've used them as part of my CPR and WFR classes.

[enlightenment]

3. No - but

my dad lived an extra seven years because a highway patrolman had been trained in the use of one and had it in his car. I am familiar with how they work, particularly after that event (as a family, we gave, as a thank-you, an additional unit to the hwy patrol in the county because they only had one).

I'm not debating the usefulness of the tool - I'm suggesting that the scenario, as played out, is possibly less than efficacious. Please remember that it is possible to be critical of an idea without dismissing it out of hand. Criticism leads to thinking about draw-backs to a plan and usually makes a better "product" in the end.

I would like to see a return to training people in basic/intermediate first aid. You can take classes, but in most places they are expensive and hard-to-find. When I was growing up, they taught the basics in high school gym class, but by the time my son was in high school, that was a distant memory. First responders are an important part of the tool kit - but someone completely untrained may be more of a problem than a help.

[FSogol]

7. Completely agree with your opinions. They skipped over the defib process in the video

to accent the drone delivery. In their scenario, the equipment in the building or a person trained in cpr, would have been more immediate help that waiting on a drone delivery.

[Bluenorthwest]

8. The obvious best use would be in disaster scenarios where victims can not be reached by other

means. Medications, first aid supplies, many things could be delivered over piles of rubble that might take humans hours or days to safely navigate.

[enlightenment]

9. I agree.

There are scenarios where this would be really useful.

[packman]

4. I can see several things that could go wrong here

weather, untrained help, mechanics, etc. BUT- I love this type of thinking. New, bold and out of the envelope - certainly better than drones being used to deliver pizzas.

[Orrex]

5. I agree

certainly better than drones being used to deliver pizzas.

Yes indeed. Or missiles.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. They could use some of them in Afghanistan and Pakistan after drone attacks.

They could call them "Collateral Damage Transporters".