Posted on 10/24/2022 6:25:00 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The project from APOPO, a Belgian non-profit that trains animals to save lives, is fitting rats with small specialized backpacks to help emergency crews search for survivors in the event of building collapses.
According to researchers on the project, their small size and excellent smell of the rodents, plus their adventures spirit makes them the perfect animal to help in such disasters.
“Rats are typically quite curious and like to explore – and that is key for search and rescue,” says Donna Kean, a behavioral research scientist and leader of the project, per CNN.
The rats aren’t ready to be deployed into collapsed buildings just yet, but they’re currently being trained in a simulator disaster area, during 15-minute sessions five days a week, going through the motions of a real rescue.
The rodent’s backpacks are fashioned with a video camera, but scientists are hoping to make it “as small as possible” without losing any functionality, and also include a two-way microphone and location transmitter to help locate survivors and communicate with people.
The backpacks are being developed by APOPO in a collaboration with Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, with the backpack technology being developed by electrical engineer Sander Verdiesen.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
If I’m trapped in a building collapse, and your best idea is to send a rat to find me, you’d better hope that I die in the debris.
Just what I want when I’m trapped and immobile under tons of rubble...a backpack-carrying rat chewing off my ears and nose.
Those rats are more honorable than political ‘Rats.
I’d rather have the Saint Bernard with the little brandy cask.
Agreed.
Side story - I got hammered in Eindhoven on Jagermeister. Rough morning...
Winston Smith isn’t going to like this.
So if one of them hands you a cellphone, will you be surprised or just ungrateful?
You forget a human will be training it to save your life.
Before or after they nibble away at the survivors?
Ben, you’re always running here and there
You feel you’re not wanted anywhere
They don’t see you as I do
With a backpack with a sandwich or two
I’m sure they’d think again
With a delivery guy like Ben
Tip of the hat to Michael Jackson.
Maybe they can train them to bring a pizza with them.
Yeah. Weird comments. The rat can obviously go places a dog cannot, especially in rubble. It seems like a good idea. I hope it works.
Not to worry.
The rats will be fitted with muzzles. ;)
A big husky sewer rat could probably fetch along at least one cold beer to go with the pizza, too.
I lived in LA during the Northridge quake. The thought that at any minute the earth could start shaking and the building could collapse on you was always on my mind. Especially at night. I’m glad I moved back the the Midwest - at least we are informed when weather could become nasty.
Hahahahahahahahaha
Rats, why did it have to be rats.
I checked nobody mentioned it:)
They are also used in various parts of the world for landmine detection:
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