But an unlikely savior is being trained up to help out: rats.<\/p>\n
The project, conceived of by Belgian non-profit\u00a0APOPO<\/a>, is kitting out rodents with tiny, high-tech backpacks to help first responders search for survivors among rubble in disaster zones.<\/p>\n \u201cRats are typically quite curious and like to explore \u2013 and that is key for search and rescue,\u201d says Donna Kean, a behavioral research scientist and leader of the project.<\/p>\n In addition to their adventurous spirit, their small size and excellent sense of smell make rats perfect for locating things in tight spaces, says Kean.<\/p>\n The rats are currently being trained to find survivors in a simulated disaster zone. They must first locate the target person in an empty room, pull a switch on their vest that triggers a beeper, and then return to base, where they are rewarded with a treat.<\/p>\n While the rodents are still in the early stages of training, APOPO is collaborating with the Eindhoven University of Technology to develop a backpack, which is equipped with a video camera, two-way microphone, and location transmitter to help first responders communicate with survivors.<\/p>\n \u201cTogether with the backpack and the training, the rats are incredibly useful for search and rescue,\u201d says Kean.<\/p>\n Rat pack<\/strong><\/p>\n APOPO has been\u00a0training dogs and rats<\/a>\u00a0at its base in Tanzania in the scent detection of landmines and tuberculosis for over a decade. Its programs use African Giant Pouched Rats, which have a longer lifespan in captivity of around eight years compared to the four years of the common brown rat.<\/p>\n While the search and rescue project only officially launched in April 2021, when Kean joined the team, APOPO had been trying to get the idea off the ground for years but lacked funding and a search and rescue partner to support it. But when volunteer search and rescue organization GEA<\/a>\u00a0approached APOPO in 2017 about the possibility of using rats in its missions, the team began exploring the idea.<\/p>\n A key component to the search and rescue mission was the technology to allow first responders to communicate with victims via the rats. APOPO didn\u2019t have this \u2013 until electrical engineer Sander Verdiesen got involved.<\/p>\n Looking to \u201capply technology to improve lives\u201d during his master\u2019s studies at Eindhoven University of Technology, Verdiesen interned with APOPO in 2019 and was tasked with creating the first prototype of the rat backpack, to help rescuers get a better idea of what was going on inside disaster zones.<\/p>\n The prototype consisted of a 3D-printed plastic container with a video camera that sent live footage to a receiver module on a laptop, while also saving a high-quality version on an SD card. It attached to the rats with a neoprene vest, the same material that\u2019s used for scuba suits.<\/p>\n Verdiesen flew to Tanzania to test out the equipment and says that initially, the rats \u201cdidn\u2019t really know how to deal with it\u201d but adapted quickly. \u201cBy the end, they were just running around with the backpack on, no problem at all,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n Big challenges for tiny tech<\/strong><\/p>\n With the backpacks working \u201cbetter than expected,\u201d Verdiesen continued to refine the design even after his internship ended, as a volunteer.<\/p>\n But sizing down technology and adapting it for disaster zones hasn\u2019t been easy.<\/p>\n GPS can\u2019t penetrate the dense rubble and debris of collapsed buildings, says Verdeisen. An alternative is the Inertial Measurement Unit, a location tracker used in the heels of\u00a0firefighters\u2019<\/a>\u00a0boots.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re walking, your foot is going to be still every step or so \u2013 that\u2019s where you can recalibrate. With the rats, we\u2019re yet to find that,\u201d he says. Other engineers are working on similar projects, so he\u2019s hopeful they can find a solution.<\/p>\n Verdeisen is also trying to pack more technology into the next version, such as a two-way microphone, while reducing its size. Weighing around 140 grams (4.9 ounces), the prototype was twice as heavy as originally intended \u2013 although Verdeisen says that bulkiness was more of an issue, at 10 centimeters long (3.9 inches) and 4 centimeters deep (1.6 inches).<\/p>\n \u201cThe rats were walking up against something that they would normally be able to go under, and suddenly they can\u2019t anymore,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n To make it \u201cas small as possible\u201d without losing any functionality, Verdeisen plans to integrate everything onto a single printed circuit board, which will free up more space. This upgraded version of the backpack should be ready later this year, and he hopes one day it can help first responders \u201cto locate somebody that would otherwise not be rescued.\u201d<\/p>\n Rodents to the rescue<\/strong><\/p>\n Meanwhile, in Tanzania, Kean is increasing the complexity of the rats\u2019 training environment, \u201cto make it more like what they might encounter in real life.\u201d That includes adding industrial sounds like drilling to mimic real emergencies.<\/p>\n So far, the results are promising: from her observations, Kean says the rats are responding well to the increasingly difficult simulations: \u201cThey have to be super confident in any environment, under any conditions, and that\u2019s something that these rats are naturally good at.\u201d<\/p>\n Handled from birth, the rats are exposed to a variety of environments, sights, sounds, and people as part of a \u201chabituation process,\u201d which makes their gradual exposure to more extreme situations less stressful, according to Kean.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/rata2.jpg\")
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