Today in TechPAWS cam gives rescuers a dog’s-eye-view
Perhaps because it seems that 2011 was a year rife with natural and man-made disasters, inventors have been making huge strides in creating technology to help with rescue operations in an emergency. There's the robotic sniffer dog and the slightly less cute robotic slug crawler vehicle, and now there's PAWS — the Portable All-terrain Wireless System which lets rescuers see what their dogs see as they scramble through rubble searching for survivors.
Created by UK firm Wood & Douglas, which specializes in wireless broadcast technology, the system consists of a camera that attaches to a harness that can be worn by a rescue dog. The camera sits on top of the dog's head, much like a spelunker's helmet light, with the transmitter on the vest.
PAWS allows rescuers to combine the nimble abilities of a search dog with the handler's ability to see what the dog sees in real time. It can be used to help find survivors in a disaster situation, for narcotics raids, or searching for fugitives. Check out the BBC's video for a demonstration in a mock disaster situation, complete with adorable search dog!
[Image credit: BBC]
This article was written by Katherine Gray and originally appeared on Tecca
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