Radar device can locate people beneath 30 feet of crushed materials

Referred to as FINDER, short for Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response, a portable radar device has been created that can locate victims beneath as much as 30 feet of crushed materials. 

The inspiration for this technology came from NASA, which uses a similar technique to detect far-away objects in space.

In fact, the space agency collaborated with the Department of Homeland Security on this project.

“The ultimate goal of FINDER is to help emergency responders efficiently rescue victims of disasters,” said John Price, program manager for the First Responders Group in Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate in Washington.

“The technology has the potential to quickly identify the presence of living victims, allowing rescue workers to more precisely deploy their limited resources.”

When used in open spaces, FINDER’s reach can go even further, detecting people at a distance of 100 feet.

Behind solid concrete, it has a range of 20 feet.

FINDER uses microwave radar technology coupled with advanced algorithms to detect tiny signals coming from a person’s moving chest. It is able to isolate these signals from others, like that coming from moving trees, nearby animals, or shifting structures.

“Detecting small motions from the victim's heartbeat and breathing from a distance uses the same kind of signal processing as detecting the small changes in motion of spacecraft like Cassini as it orbits Saturn,” said James Lux, task manager for FINDER at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The research team will continue to improve the prototype based on input and recommendations following test searches.

Future development of the technology is expected to focus on the creation of a locator function, so that searchers will not only be able detect the presence of a victim, but also be able to tell where in the rubble they’re located.

Story via: nasa.gov