The prototype “drone ambulance”, presented in the Netherlands, is capable of transporting a defibrillator in record time, thus increasing the chances of survival in a cardiac arrest.
This is undoubtedly the video of the week! That of a prototype of an “ambulance drone” capable of transporting a defibrillator in record time to victims of cardiac arrests. According to its designers, the invention will operate autonomously by locating the origin of an emergency call and using GPS data.
A speed of 100 km / h
The drone can transport a four-kilogram defibrillator in record time to a victim of cardiac arrest. Equipped with six propellers, the machine quickly reached a speed of 100 km / h.
“Around 800,000 people suffer cardiac arrest each year in the European Union, and only 8% of them survive,” recalled Alec Momont, 23, the Belgian engineering student who developed the system presented this Tuesday at the University of Delf (Netherlands).
“The main reason is the relatively long time it takes for the emergency services to get there, around 10 minutes, while death in this type of situation occurs after 4 to 6 minutes. “, He still assured.
80% chance of survival thanks to the drone?
According to this industrial engineer, this “drone ambulance” could take a defibrillator in one minute in an area of 12 square kilometers, “increasing the chances of survival from 8 to 80%”, according to his own estimates.
And once there, medical staff will be able to communicate and give instructions to those with the victim, in particular using an on-board microphone and camera.
Result, even if it is for the moment only a prototype, the tool has already seduced the Dutch emergency services. It has also drawn praise from the Dutch Heart Foundation, according to the Dutch daily Algemeen Dagblad.
An emergency drone network within five years?
And its designer thinks big. Because Alec Momont said he wanted an emergency drone network to be developed in the Netherlands within five years. Ultimately, a dream. That his drone becomes a real “flying medical kit capable in particular of bringing an oxygen mask to a person stranded in a fire, or a dose of insulin to a diabetic”, hopes the young designer.
Only downside to the invention, its price perhaps. With a structure built in carbon fibers and some elements produced using a 3D printer, an ambulance drone should indeed cost no less than 15,000 euros each.
As a reminder, cardiac arrest kills 40,000 adults every year in France.
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