NASA’s heartbeat-detecting tech saves lives in quake-hit Nepal

Washington: A new heartbeat-detecting device developed by NASA has helped rescue four men trapped under as much as 10 feet of bricks, mud and other debris in Nepal after a killer earthquake devastated the country.
The device called FINDER (Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response) uses microwave-radar technology to detect heartbeats of victims trapped in wreckage. Following the 7.9 magnitude April 25 earthquake in Nepal, two prototype FINDER devices were deployed to support search and rescue teams in the stricken areas.
“The true test of any technology is how well it works in a real-life operational setting,” said Dr Reginald Brothers, Under Secretary for Science and Technology at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“Of course, no one wants disasters to occur, but tools like this are designed to help when our worst nightmares do happen. I am proud that we were able to provide the tools to help rescue these four men,” said Brothers. The men had been trapped beneath the rubble for days in the hard-hit village of Chautara.
Using FINDER, a contingent of international rescuers was able to detect two heartbeats beneath each of two different collapsed structures, allowing the rescue workers to find and save the men.
“FINDER exemplifies how technology designed for space exploration has profound impacts to life on Earth,” said Dr David Miller, NASA’s chief technologist at NASA Headquarters here. FINDER has previously demonstrated capabilities to detect people buried under up to 30 feet of rubble, hidden behind 20 feet of solid concrete, and from a distance of 100 feet in open spaces, NASA said.
A new “locator” feature has since been added to not only provide search and rescue responders with confirmation of a heartbeat, but also the approximate location of trapped individuals within about five feet, depending on the type of rubble.
The FINDER device developed in partnership by DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was demonstrated at the Virginia Task Force One Training Facility in Virginia. (PTI)