Nepal – A highly technological machine named FINDER, and partially developed by NASA came to the rescue of four Nepal earthquake survivors following the occurrence of a natural disaster. It is amazing how the mighty machine was able to detect their human heartbeats even though they had been buried 30ft under the rumble.
The earthquake that struck the country’s capital, Kathmandu, was so strong that it caused the death of close to 7,700 with many more suffering from various injuries. It was rated to be of 7.8-magnitude.
And how did the radar technology device that was used able to track the survivors? It simply detects human movements by the minute while at the same time pumping blood. Having been trapped under heaps of stones and bricks, they had difficulties in breathing but FINDER was able to detect their heartbeats.
The buried victims of the earthquake included four men whose heartbeat signals would be reflected from the rumble and sent back to the device’s radar.
This was a great test of technology that turned to be very encouraging, according to undersecretary for the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS), Reginald Brothers. It is in such kind of nightmares in real life that technology is heavily tested.
The device is very simple with a weight of less than 20 lbs, and you can just carry it in a suitcase. However, there exist other such like devices but higher versions. The building of FINDER involved combined efforts of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS).
In the earlier years, both NASA and DHS has introduced a different portable radar unit that was using the current FINDER’s technology. However, its sole purpose was to monitor spaceships.
Government officials have recommended the latest technology by the two entities and will be launching its commercial manufacture soon. However, it is expected that other devices of higher magnitude than what was used during the latest Nepal earthquake will soon start being produced.