Different places around the world are prone to different types of natural disasters. Earthquakes, being one of them, cause tremendous amounts of damage to both life and property. Japan is a country which is prone to the most number of earthquakes. The shocks suffered by Japan range from anywhere between 6.5 to 7.5 magnitude on the Richter scale. An earthquake of such magnitude was measured in the year 2016, in which Japan incurred $32 billion overall losses with around 31,000 casualties. Such a phenomenon has happened not only in Japan but also in countries like Nepal, Indonesia and the Philippines.
A team of designers, headed by Sohn Jeong Hwan from the Samsung Art and Design Institute (SADI) have recently come up with a drone called the B Drone which is an earthquake rescue system designed to optimize the first 72 hours of search time. In an earthquake hit zone, it is dangerous for both rescue workers and victims. Hence, search and rescue in the first 72 hours of the calamity is a big challenge for rescue operators. This high-risk period, also known as the ‘Golden Time,’ is largely responsible for the high mortality rates of both victims and rescue operatives. The B Drone has a unique design. It is a large mother drone which houses four smaller drones within its body. It is a drone-in-drone system which deploys the smaller drones to navigate between constricted spaces and dangerous areas where workers cannot reach. With real-time GPS, a built-in 4K camera and an infrared heating sensor, the B Drone increase the chances of victim location, while reducing unnecessary risks to rescue workers.
This award-winning concept’s goal is to locate the most number of people as early as possible. Rescue forces generally use a single drone to locate survivors which is time-consuming and inefficient due to the large size. B Drone’s mini-drones cover far more area including constricted spaces and hazardous locations in a significantly less amount of time. Such kind of an ingenious drone could potentially save if not all, most of the lives of survivors. Working faster than on-foot and single drone operations, such types of drones can be used for large scale operations as well.
