[Reading Science] NASA Urgently Deploys Advanced Structural Equipment to Turkey

Detecting Heart Vibrations and Respiratory Tremors with Microwaves
Attention on Potential Aid in Rescuing Additional Survivors

In 2013, researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) developed and tested the FINDER device for searching for survivors in building debris. Photo by NASA website

On the 6th (local time), miraculous survivor rescue news is still coming from the site of the T?rkiye earthquake, and it is drawing attention as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has reportedly urgently deployed state-of-the-art equipment developed by spinning off space technology.

NASA announced on the 14th (local time) that it urgently supported advanced equipment called FINDER (Finding Individuals for Disaster Emergency Response), which can detect human heartbeats under debris, to search for missing persons in the T?rkiye earthquake. It is known that this equipment departed for T?rkiye on the 12th and is now likely being deployed to search for survivors at collapsed building sites.

This device was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Development began when the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requested technical support from DHS for survivor search during the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The device uses microwaves to detect subtle vibrations caused by heartbeats or breathing of people buried under building debris. It can distinguish between vibrations caused by machines and humans, and can even differentiate between animals and humans. It has been used to rescue survivors buried under rubble in major disasters such as the 2019 Philippines earthquake.

Advanced human search equipment FINDER developed by NASA in the United States. Photo by NASA website

The initial version developed by JPL could not determine the number of people buried under rubble and could not detect through metal walls, among other limitations. However, a private company, SpecOps Group, which saw the potential, acquired the technology and succeeded in commercializing it through upgrades and development of subsequent versions since 2015. The latest version has been improved to be usable via Apple (iOS) or Android phones. The search operation, which used to take about 90 seconds, can now be completed in 30 seconds. It weighs only 13 pounds, much lighter than the prototype, and its performance has been enhanced.

FEMA first deployed this device in a real disaster situation during Hurricane Dorian, which struck the Bahamas in 2019, verifying its performance. It was also deployed at the Philippines earthquake site the same year. Numerous related non-military agencies within the United States, including the Orange County Fire Authority in California, have purchased and are using it. Rescue authorities in the United Kingdom, France, Norway, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines are also reported to have purchased this device.