Researchers at the University of South Australia have developed a drone that remotely measures your heartbeat and breathing rate. Naturally, this would be a huge boon to the medical field, as the unmanned aerial vehicles could be stationed in hospitals, clinics, and even on the battlefield. Drones are increasingly relieving all sorts of industries from a lack of personnel, and the medical field is one that could benefit the most, regarding the value of life.

The drones use video footage measure vital signs, researchers explain. The project was inspired by the search for something more elegant than connecting sensors to patients, which quite often led to infections in newborn babies in developing countries. With these UAVs, which can analyze a patient from up to 9 feet away, that risk is vanquished entirely.

Robotics lecturer at Imperial College London, Ravi Vaidyanathan, describes this development as “fascinating,” and is highly keen on pushing this technology forward.

Continue reading at: http://www.thedrive.com/aerial/14706/this-drone-could-save-lives-by-detecting-heartbeat-and-breathing-rate