NATO supports new technology in the Czech Republic to help save lives

Credit: Courtesy | Date Taken: 08/13/2021
SYNOPSIS NATO is supporting the development of new technology designed to minimise casualties during combat operations. It involves soldiers wearing various body sensors that will help medics collect vital data and determine the extent to which a soldier may be injured more accurately than a field medic would be able to conclude. The new technology is called the Digital Triage Assistant (DTA) system. The original concept came from a collaboration between students of Johns Hopkins University and the NATO Allied Command Transformation Innovation Hub. It has since expanded and now involves researchers from the Czech Technical University in Prague, the DefSec Innovation Hub, the Czech University of Defence and the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces. Footage includes scenes of a simulated attack showing soldiers wearing prototype devices. It also includes soundbites with Kristina Soukupová, President, DefSec Innovation Hub and Major Bedrich Hyza, Chief of Training, Military Academy, Brno. SHOTLIST (00:00) VARIOUS SHOTS: CZECH INFANTRY EXITING AN ARMOURED VEHICLE (00:19) VARIOUS SHOTS: CZECH INFANTRY ON A FOOT PATROL THROUGH THE FOREST (00:43) VARIOUS SHOTS: CZECH INFANTRY RESPONDING TO A SIMULATED ENEMY ATTACK (01:10) VARIOUS SHOTS: CZECH INFANTRY SOLDIER SIMULATING A BATTLEFIELD CASUALTY (01:54) VARIOUS CLOSE-UP SHOTS: CZECH INFANTRY SOLDIER WEARING PROTOTYPE DIGITAL TRIAGE ASSISTANT (02:16) VARIOUS SHOTS: CZECH INFANTRY SOLDIER SIMULATING AN INJURY AND RECEIVING TREATMENT (02:44) VARIOUS MEDIUM SHOTS: CZECH INFANTRY SOLDIER WEARING PROTOTYPE DIGITAL TRIAGE ASSISTANT (02:56) VARIOUS SHOTS: CZECH INFANTRY SOLDIERS REPORTING CASUALTIES ON RADIO (03:02) VARIOUS SHOTS: CZECH INFANTRY OFFICER MONITORING DATA FROM LAPTOP (03:32) VARIOUS SHOTS: MILITARY AMBULANCE TAKING SIMULATED BATTLEFIELD CASUALTIES AWAY (04:06) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Kristina Soukupová, President, DefSec Innovation Hub “The system consists of sensors that we put on soldier’s body that monitor his or her heart beat, breath rate, and so on and so forth, some other parameters. But also a software part, which shows where the soldier is and how heavily wounded he or she is. We’re also planning on adding an artificial intelligence capability that will calculate mortality likelihood score, which basically shows immediately whether a wounded soldier is likely to die.” (04:37) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Kristina Soukupová, President, DefSec Innovation Hub “The origins of this project go back to NATO ACT Innovation Hub, which came up with NATO issues to solve. It was a broad idea where students from Johns Hopkins University were asked to think about how modern technologies such as artificial intelligence can help field medics and very soon they got to the point where they realised that triage is one of these things that technology can help and they started thinking about a digital triage assistant.” (05:10) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Major Bedrich Hyza, Chief of Training, Military Academy, Brno “The system is very useful for the military because you have the information about the patient as soon as possible and you have the chance to make better decisions.” (05:23) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Major Bedrich Hyza, Chief of Training, Military Academy, Brno “The life for the regular soldiers and also for the medics will be easier because the soldiers know that they will be, let’s say, under the protection of the medical service.” END