A new technological device could assist rescuers and save more people in the event of a building collapse a NASA press release reported.
"Isolating the relatively weak signal of a heartbeat within the noisy signals becomes a difficult task," said Edward Chow, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) project manager in a statement.
The new device named, FINDER which stands for Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response can sense a human heartbeat from a person who is buried 30 feet under rubble and debris. FINDER is also capable of feeling a heartbeat from someone who is behind 20 feet of solid concrete and 100 feet in open space.
The technology can also tell the difference between a human's breathing patterns and heartbeat from other animals. Because of this, rescue workers utilizing the device will be able to determine whether any survivors dead or alive are present in the aftermath of a disaster.
By using advanced data processing, researchers overcame the main obstacle of not being able to pick up signals through massive piles of debris after a disaster.
According to the press release, researchers began testing last June when first responders to scenes used the makeshift device in over 65 searches. Two urban search and rescue teams helped in the effort. The two teams were Fairfax County Virginia's, Virginia Task Force One (VA-TF1) and Virginia Task Force Two (VA-TF2) in Virginia Beach.
In the case of the former, responders were able to locate a VA-TF1 member buried in 30 feet of mixed concrete and other debris using FINDER.
"Testing proved successful in locating a task force member buried in 30 feet of mixed concrete, rebar and gravel rubble from a distance of over 30 feet," said John Price, United States Department of Homeland Security science and technology program manager in a statement. "This capability will complement the current urban search and rescue tools such as canines, listening devices and video cameras to detect the presence of living victims in rubble."
Scientists hope to make final improvements on FINDER and put it out to the public as early as the spring of next year.
