NASA Tech Aids Relief Workers After Mexico Quakes Phys.org
go to original September 25, 2017

An emergency responder in Mexico City carries an orange case holding a radar instrument called FINDER. This technology can detect the heartbeats of earthquake survivors buried under rubble. (SpecOps Group)

Disaster relief workers on the ground in Mexico City were responding to last week's earthquakes by using a suitcase-sized radar instrument capable of detecting human heartbeats under rubble.

This technology was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, and the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate in Washington. FINDER, which stands for Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response, was developed as a collaboration between the two agencies.

Since 2015, two private companies have acquired licenses for the technology. They have since taken it to disaster zones, training relief workers to use it and manufacturing new units.

"Our hearts go out to the people of Mexico," said Neil Chamberlain, task manager for FINDER at JPL. "We're glad to know our technology is being used to make a difference there."

As of Thursday, Sept. 21, one of the licensees, a company called SpecOps Group Inc., was in Mexico City and actively searching for survivors. President and CEO Adrian Garulay said members of the company were escorted to the disaster site and connected with rescue workers.

A second company, R4 Incorporated, sold FINDER units to the fire department of Quito, Ecuador, after responding to an earthquake there last year. David Lewis, president and CEO of R4, said the Quito fire department had dispatched its units to Mexico City to aid in the search for victims.

Read the rest at Phys.org

Related: Rescuers Aren't Giving Up in Search for Earthquake Survivors in Mexico (LA Times)

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