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posted by martyb on Thursday September 28 2017, @06:53PM   Printer-friendly
from the surge-in-sales-of-earplugs-and-scarves dept.

Researchers at the University of South Australia have developed drones that can remotely measure heart and breathing rates.

Image-processing systems combined with specially created algorithms allow the drones to detect vital signs in several people at once, while they are moving.

The drones could be deployed in nursing homes, on hospital wards and in war zones.

One expert said it could be "game-changing".

The system detects movements in human faces and necks in order to accurately source heart and breathing rates. In trials, the drones took measurements from a distance of three metres but could be advanced to take them from much further away.

"The drone will single out each person automatically and provide a trace for each individual as to where their heart rate and breathing rate is," said project supervisor Prof Javaan Chahl.

Hovering drones will be a welcome addition to emergency rooms and nursing homes.


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  • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 28 2017, @08:42PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 28 2017, @08:42PM (#574524)

    So ... using a camera, then. And, for convenience, mounting that camera on wheels would be safer and more durable than on a quadcopter...

    Quadcopters? Jeez, that's a lot less interesting. From the reference to drones I had visions of 30-foot-long aircraft somehow in a holding pattern in the communal lounge of an old folks' home, monitoring their vitals. For a few minutes, anyway, as they probably wouldn't long survive the stress of an aircraft buzzing them in a relatively low-ceiling room.

    "Yeah, guys? There were a few dozen heartbeats when we flew in, but it's all quiet now."

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  • (Score: 4, Funny) by bob_super on Thursday September 28 2017, @09:23PM

    by bob_super (1357) on Thursday September 28 2017, @09:23PM (#574539)

    "it's actually quiet because the two vets with PTSD cleared the room with concussion grenades. The drone is in pieces, so we can't figure out which sofa they barricaded behind"