The CF-H2 Medical Rugged Toughbook is helping to locate victims after disasters

It is common knowledge that the first hour after a major disaster is critical to finding survivors. A natural disaster like an earthquake, or a man made disaster such as a bombing, could leave an untold number of victims trapped or lost under many feet of rubble and debris.  Ensuring first responders are able to locate survivors quickly to get them medial attention as soon as possible is crucial.

NASA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have collaborated on a portable radar device that is used to locate living victims after a major disaster. The device, called FINDER (Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response), uses sophisticated microwave radar technology to detect heartbeats and breathing of victims trapped in large disaster areas and rubble.

As the system must be sturdy enough to accompany rescuers in dangerous terrain and piles of rubble/debris, DHS and NASA decided to utilise a fully rugged Toughbook H2 tablet PC.

Watch this video to see the FINDER solution and Toughbook H2 in action

A critical component of FINDER is the tablet computer used to operate the system. As the system must be sturdy enough to accompany rescuers in dangerous terrain and piles of rubble/debris, DHS and NASA decided to utilise a fully rugged Toughbook H2 tablet PC as part of the FINDER solution. Its sealed, all-weather design is IP65 and MIL-STD-810G certified to withstand inclement weather, liquid spills, freeze/thaw, drops of up to 6 feet and other tough conditions.

The H2 also features a LED screen capable of up to 6000 nits for easy viewing in direct sunlight, with other unique features such as hot-swappable twin batteries for maximum uptime and an integrated handle and ergonomic rubber hand strap for easy portability. With the dependable Toughbook H2 platform, first responders can use FINDER’s incredible, fast-acting radar technology in virtually any condition when it’s needed most.