Triage Sensor™

The first responders, in their chemical protection gear, are overheated, claustrophobic, and have very little manual dexterity in their butyl-gloved hands. These first responders need a sensor that can identify live humans among the many motionless bodies, a sensor that can be operated easily by a person in chemical protection gear, a sensor that produces clear, simple indications that the casualty is alive or dead.

Radiance Technologies' Triage Sensor is a sensor package mounted on any number of small, remotely operated robots. A pole-mounted version is also available for use by rescuers directly. The robot-mounted Triage Sensor hardware consists of two components: a sensor processor attached to the robot, and a piece of software running on a remote computer. In the sensor are three sensors, a pulse oximeter, an oxygen sensor, and a carbon dioxide sensor. The Triage Sensor measures the two basic life support metrics: pulse and breathing. The pulse oximeter sensor measures pulse and blood-oxygen content. The oxygen sensor and the carbon dioxide sensor, in combination, indicate breathing. A microcontroller packages these readings into a compact message and transmits the data out the sensor’s serial port. The software at the operators’ position receives the data and displays it in an easy to read format. The operator then makes a decision as to whether the casualty is dead or alive, and based on pulse oximeter readings, the general condition of the casualty. In the pole-mounted version, the data is displayed on a small LCD display for dissemination by the user.

Due to the way in which the microprocessor has been integrated into the device, user-developed algorithms can be pre-loaded into the sensor that will make an alive or dead decision for the operator. The Triage Sensor platform is also an open system, allowing the integration of other sensors according to the user’s specific requirements. Wireless, GPS, two-way communications, and mesh networking capabilities are some possible extensions to the base sensor platform. Task specific versions are easily produced from the basic sensor platform.

The Triage sensor is a joint project between Radiance Technologies, Inc. and the University of South Florida (USF). Research at USF’s Center for Robot Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR) led to the need for a remotely mounted medical sensor. USF is responsible for robot platform research, algorithm development, and testing. Radiance Technologies is responsible for hardware development and integration, software implementation, and on-board processor development.

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