A little background:

Out of the 400,000 heart attack victims in the US last year, less than 10% survived. Why?
Because the first responders with defibrillators could not get to them in time. In a heart attack,
aid must be given in the first five minutes or the chances of survival drop to just 8 percent. The
average ambulance response time in the US: 10 to 12 minutes. And even though AEDs
(automatic external defibrillators) have grown in popularity, they cant be everywhere.
So Alec set out to see to see if he could bring an AED to the victim via a drone! His prototype
contains a defibrillator, camera, microphone and speakers.
He says the drone can arrive as quickly as one minute after being dispatched at an air speed of
60 mph cutting the average travel time from 10 minutes to 1 minute within an area of 4.6
square miles. And he hopes to eventually double the drones top speed to make response times
even faster.
Heres how it works:
Using standard GPS protocols, an operator flies the drone to the location of the emergency call.
Once on the scene, a remote paramedic can provide instructions to whoever is on the ground,
with the help of the drones cameras and two-way speakers.
According to his research, Alec says the cardiac arrest survival rates could increase to more than
80 percent.
The estimated cost of a drone:
Around $19,000 each, this does not include the cost of the staff to pilot them.
Other potential benefits:

Drones are cheaper than a fully equipped ambulance.

They can be placed in key locations around cities.

They can reach the emergency location much faster than an ambulance.

But heart attack victims are just one potential life-saving cause for Alecs flying
defibrillator. He would like to see his drone become a flying medical toolbox able to
carry an oxygen mask to a person trapped in a fire, an insulin injection to a diabetes
sufferer or carry heat sensors to locate skiers buried in avalanches.

The concept of using a drone to dispatch emergency medical supplies and equipment in a
tight and difficult-to-drive urban environment can mean the difference between life and
death. And with Alecs innovation, we are just beginning to scratch the surface to
improving responses to EMS calls.

Tar g e t s
The targets were jointly defined by future innovation consultancy Living Tomorrow and their
client University Hospital of Ghent. I subsequently secured 10k in funding for my graduation
project based on my project proposal of how drones can improve global health? The following
targets were set:

Strategy - Define vertical markets in which UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, which is an
aircraft with no pilot on board.) will have a disrupting impact and will improve global
health.

MVP - Create a minimal viable product that can be used for market testing and create
public exposure.

Startup - Perform an extensive feasibility study and user testing to establish a ground
platform for a startup company.

Process
Through several focus sessions and interviews I convened drone experts, medical staff and
professionals from different fields in numerous brainstorms to explore this topic. The results
showed clear added value by the speed of deployment, accuracy and automated flight in the field
of emergency response (EMS). The goal was thus defined to create a high speed response
network that worked in a decentralized way to provide faster response times. For the minimally
viable product of this vision I engineered a custom foldable frame that transforms the UAV into a
compact flying toolbox containing essential supplies for (lay-person) advanced life support. The
first product focuses on the most pressing use case: delivery of an automated external
defibrillator - where a decrease in response time of just one minute leads to an increase of 10% in
the survival rates.
Vision

Our vision is to improve current emergency infrastructure with a network

of drones capable of saving lives, the 23-year-old engineering graduate
said.