Defikopter drone airdrops defibrillators to save heart attack victims

By Mike Flacy September 4, 2013

defikopter drone delivers defibrillators to save heart attack victims — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Detailed within a press release created by nonprofit Definetz in collaboration with drone creator Height Tech, the Defikopter drone is a new type of emergency medical assistance tool that can deliver a defibrillator in order to help save the life of someone that’s experiencing cardiac arrest.

Similar to other drones developed as delivery systems, the Defikopter drone can be summoned to a specific location within a six mile radius using a smartphone application and GPS location. Hypothetically, the public could summon the Defikopter drone to their location with the smartphone application in order to save the life of a friend or family member, assuming they have been trained on how to use the defibrillator.

This concept could be ideal for an urban area where it may be difficult for a medical professional to reach an accident victim in time. For instance, someone experiencing a heart attack in the middle of a traffic jam could be saved more quickly by the Defikopter rather than waiting for an ambulance attempt to push through rush hour traffic to reach the vehicle. As detailed by the American Red Cross, chance of survival is reduced by approximately ten percent for every minute that defibrillation is delayed and average 911 response time in the United States is 8 to 12 minutes.

defikopter-drone-landing — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The drone has been built with speed in mind and can travel up to 43 miles per hour in the air to reach a location quickly. While the Defikopter can land at the accident location, it also includes a parachute to airdrop the defibrillator if no landing location is suitable.

Unfortunately, the relatively small six mile radius could be an issue in rural or suburban areas and the $26,000 cost of the drone is somewhat prohibitive. In addition, the person that summons the drone to the location needs to have already downloaded the application to their smartphone in order to save as much time as possible.

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Emerging Tech

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