one of the scariest natural disasters earthquakesa nightmare for many of us. In these disasters, we usually don’t see buildings collapse, if not very large. But people can get trapped under rubble when they collapse. After what happened, search and rescue teams come into play and work diligently to save these people.

Now a project is underway to help not only people, but also those stranded in the aftermath of such disasters. rats proven that it can also be used. The Belgian non-profit organization APOPO says these creatures are willing to help search and rescue teams.

Rats can save lives by carrying backpacks

According to CNN, APOPO with high-tech backpacks equipped; so he can help emergency services search for those trapped under the rubble, he says. Donna Kean, the project leader, said:Rats are very curious creatures and love to explore. This one, very important in search and rescue operations” expressions used.

Kean also noted that these creatures, in addition to their adventurous spirit, small size and excellent sense of smell points out that it can be helpful in finding things in tight spaces. According to experts, rats are already being trained in a simulated disaster area. Creatures try to locate the target in a room, pull the button on their backpack that activates the ‘beep’, and then be rewarded They have to go back. Experts believe that this method could make the species ready for search and rescue.

APOPO is a tool to help emergency response teams contact survivors. video camera, microphone and location transmitter Working on backpacks equipped with Dean, from the team working with Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands on this issue, emphasizes that the breed, along with the backpack and training, can be very useful in search and rescue.

It should be noted that the organization has been training rats and dogs for mine odor detection and tuberculosis for more than a decade. The African rat, which has a long lifespan of eight years, was used in the programs. The new search and rescue project, on the other hand, has been trying to implement the organization for years; but it officially started in April 2021.

Creatures also respond well to harsh conditions

The backpack is an engineer from Eindhoven University of Technology. by Sander Verdeisen began to come alive with his recording. Then the first prototype was built. The prototype had a video camera in a section created by 3D printing and sending live images to a computer. In this way, a high-quality version of the images was also stored on an SD card in the system.

The bag was attached to the rats by a vest made of neoprene material similar to wetsuits. Verdiesen said he couldn’t understand what little creatures would do with this vest at first; however, he later said he quickly adapted and started walking around with the bag as if nothing had happened. Experts are currently using the system by shrinking He stated that they are trying to develop it and make it suitable for disaster areas. Require, living beings fit in any room says they want to bid

As a result, we can say that the project will be of great help to search and rescue teams in earthquake disasters that we often encounter in our country in the future. Researchers, who said animals are trained in 15-minute sessions five days a week, also stated that while the program is still under development, the animals respond well to different and challenging conditions. 9 to 12 months It registers that it can last.

In the next phase of the training, the rats will be tested in environments that simulate multiple floors of a collapsed building and Prepare for real world scenarios.