When a person goes into cardiac arrest, every passing minute hurts their chances of survival. Now, a group of U of T Engineering researchers want to use drones to deliver life-saving automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) rapidly and directly to homes.
Justin Boutilier (IndE PhD candidate) envisions a future in which a bystander or family member who witnesses a cardiac arrest can call 911, and within minutes, an AED is flown to their doorstep or balcony to be administered, even before the paramedics arrive.
Boutilier is working under Professor Timothy Chan (MIE), Director of the Centre for Healthcare Engineering at U of T, in collaboration with Professor Angela Schoellig (UTIAS) and researchers from the St. Michael’s Hospital Rescu program, in order to turn this futuristic idea into a life-saving reality.
Drone-delivered AEDs offer novel approach to saving lives at home