The only way deaths can be averted in a war is by not going into war anyway. But with growing terrorism and human greed for the most, there seems no way we can achieve this any soon. Technologies have been constantly developed to keep the soldiers safe at the war front, yet injuries and deaths are evident. However, it is apparent that nearly 86 percent of battlefield deaths occur within 30 minutes of injury, trauma being the biggest contributor; therefore scientists at Carnegie Mellon University, under Associate Professor Howie Choset, have taken it upon themselves, and are developing a snakelike robotic arm that would be equipped with various sensors to provide the soldier with requisite before he is carried to the battlefield medics.
Being developed in collaborating with the U.S. Army’s Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), the wireless robot controlled with a joystick from the base, could be a great first aid replacement for the medic in the battlefield, who until have to risk their lives getting to the injured soldier amid dense firing. The robotic arm would be integrated with the military’s high-tech stretcher, with a ventilator, defibrillator, called the Life Support for Trauma and Transport system (LSTAT).
The team of researchers has been into developing these robots for a decade now always improving upon their maneuverability and size. A result of the effort is this robotic arm with multiple actuated joints that gives it the snake like flexibility, and is therefore joystick controlled so that all the joints can move in tandem and the robot can preliminary diagnosis to the wounded soldier.
Via: TechnologyReview
