Dogcam Aims to Help Rescuers Find Survivors
It’s called Paws (Portable, All-terrain Wireless System), pun very much intended, and it’s the newest tool rescue workers have for finding survivors after disasters.
The wireless video broadcasting system, developed by the U.K. company Wood & Douglas, is a harness that attaches to rescue dogs and transmits real-time audio and video from the canine’s perspective back to the handlers.
Wood & Douglas demonstrated the technology for the BBC, and the company told the network it believes Paws could help emergency responders as well as the military.
Paws allows for two-way communication between the rescuer and survivor, and makes it possible for handlers to go places and get a perspective they’ve never had.
Rather than having to navigate and squeeze through the cracks and crevices created by the debris, rescuers can maintain a safe distance as the rescue dogs maneuver through the rubble, searching for life in places they could have previously never reached.
