Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) are now a common sight at airports and sports venues, but they’re nowhere near to being ubiquitous. Alec Mormot, a graduate industrial design student at TU Delft University in Holland, developed a drone with a built-in defibrillator that can quickly fly exactly to where it’s needed.
We’ve seen a German charity’s prototype of a similar idea, but the new “Ambulance Drone” is a bit more than a commercial AED attached to a drone. The AED is actually built into the drone, whose propellers fold back to get out of the way when dealing with a stricken person. It has a handle for easy carrying from the landing site to wherever the person needing help is. The electrode pads slide out of the nose of the drone and everything is labeled so anyone can use it. The other interesting component is that the drone has a camera, microphone, and a speaker, so a remote paramedic can help navigate the drone and then make sure that the pads are properly applied and the AED is used correctly. We’ll say that this is pretty awesome and is certainly a great way to use drone technology for good. With more powerful batteries and a greater lift, we can see such drones also carrying other products found in an ambulance.
Flashbacks: Drones to Drop AEDs, Not Bombs…; Google Drone Delivers Doggie Treat, Medicines are Next…
Project page: Ambulance Drone…
Announcement: TU Delft’s ambulance drone drastically increases chances of survival of cardiac arrest patients…