Ambulance drones could save heart attack victims

One of the most important considerations in emergency medical treatment is response time. Now, an engineering graduate at Delft University of Technology has created a rapid response drone to do what a regular ambulance can’t. The drone, created by Alec Momont, is able to fly at speeds of up to 100 kph (60 mph), carrying a defibrillator and equipped with features that could reduce the time before a heart attack victim receives first aid, greatly increasing the chances of recovery.

Someone has collapsed on the ground from cardiac arrest and there’s no defibrillator around. What to do? Summon an ambulance drone. A graduate student at Delft University of Technology in Netherlands has created a prototype drone that can autonomously navigate to a location in minutes and deliver a defibrillator, a device that can help reestablish normal heart rhythm. Product engineering student Alec Momont of the university’s Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering created the drone, which has three rotors and an on-board defibrillator. The drone would basically be like a mobile version of an automated external defibrillator (AED), which are lightweight, portable, battery-operated devices often found in shopping malls, transport stations and convention centers. The prototype also has a webcam so that people on the scene of a cardiac arrest can communicate with emergency personnel and follow instructions about how to care for the patient.