KT introduces lifesaving drone platform for emergency management

By Park Sae-jin Posted : June 25, 2018, 18:24 Updated : June 25, 2018, 18:24

[Courtesy of KT]


SEOUL -- "Is he conscious? Apply pressure to the bleeding wound and put a splinter next to that joint," a trauma center physician said, asking a firefighter wearing a pair of augmented reality (AR) glasses to treat a patient in a simulated real-time operation.

The operation in Wonju some 88 kilometers (54 miles) southeast of Seoul on Sunday was led by Lee Guk-jong, who heads a trauma center at Ajou University Hospital south Seoul.

The physician, well known for saving a North Korean soldier who defected across the border with multiple gunshot wounds in November last year, analyzed the seriousness of the victim's wound through a live feed broadcast in a monitor.

The operation was part of a test run for the "Skyship" platform, a mobile disaster command center platform developed by South Korea's leading telecom company, KT, in a joint project with Metismake, a Seoul-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) company.

The platform can be used for a high-tech network being developed by the government to fight disasters, KT said, adding it would upgrade its platform for the planned commercialization of a fifth-generation (5G) mobile network next year.
 

[Courtesy of KT]


The platform consists of a command truck carrying rescue robots and a helium-filled floating mothership carrying drones. The mothership is equipped with a variety of sensors including a high-definition thermal imaging camera and a communication module which can detect smartphone signal.

Once the mothership detects a smartphone signal, it dispatches drones to find the exact whereabouts of survivors. When a robot reaches them, it will shoot smoke flares to alert lifesavers who can give orders through speakers installed in the robot. Operators stationed inside the command truck are automatically notified of their information such as their names, blood types and ages.

Using AR glasses, rescuers can provide visual images and communication with the control tower and trauma centers.

KT said its platform is more effective in finding survivors because the mothership can travel up to 100 kilometers from the command truck for six hours and cover a large area, flying high and fast.

The 5G network is considered a key technology for the fourth industrial revolution because it is far faster than the 4G long-term evolution (LTE) network, making it an ideal communication network to support technologies such as artificial intelligence, ultra-high definition broadcasting and real-time machine controlling.
 

[Courtesy of KT]


Many telecom companies and smartphone makers are gearing up for a 5G era which can be interlinked with fiber optic cables installed underground and the wireless internet to provide stable connection even in the worst cases. KT said about 80 percent of its 68,000-kilometer-long fiber-optic network built underground provide a stable service even in disasters.  

 
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