We derived vehicle flight performance requirements modeling current EMS infrastructure and the impact of cooperatively deployed UAVs. Using physics simulations, we built a UAV to meet these requirements. The design process included an evaluation of various path-planning methods given various speeds. This UAV doubles the EMS coverage area of Indiana in a six minute window. The vehicle navigates to a victim using a planned flight path with forward and downward collision sensors to prevent accidents, as well as a 4G-enabled companion computer for added reliability. A bystander retrieves Narcan from the payload dispenser, and follows video and audio instructions played by the vehicle. With the ability to rapidly reach far distances, autonomously land, and provide medication and instructions to bystanders, a fleet of these UAVs would provide EMS responses to areas where ambulances cannot reach quickly, improving the medical outcomes of overdose victims.
The student-designed prototype was built using custom parts created with 3D modeling software and printed and manufactured with campus resources. Much of the prototype testing occurred in the Purdue UAS Research and Test Facility (PURT), which opened in Hangar 4 at the Purdue Airport in 2021. At 20,000 square-feet, PURT is the largest indoor motion capture facility in the world.
Opioid Overdose is a growing public health crisis with more than 81,000 deaths in the United States in 2023 alone. Fortunately, Narcan is an easily administered drug that can reverse the effects of an overdose. However, oxygen deprivation from an overdose causes permanent brain damage within just 6 minutes, quickly becoming fatal. The national average response time of an EMS is 7 minutes in urban areas, and 14 minutes in rural areas. This project seeks to design an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that autonomously delivers Narcan to the scene and gives audio and visual instructions on how to administer treatment, ahead of an ambulance arriving.