A medical drone watches over Iowa National Guard soldiers transporting a mock casualty during an exercise at Camp Grayling, Mich., Aug. 7, 2023. (Paige Bodine/U.S. Army)
A medical drone the Army is testing may one day prove the difference between life and death for American troops in combat.
Iowa National Guard soldiers trained with a drone that can scan wounded troops from the sky to get vital signs like heartbeat and breathing rates, Army officials said Wednesday.
The drone also sets a geolocation pin to help medics find the wounded.
In a test during an August exercise, a squad leader with the 294th Medical Company Area Support huddled behind cover with medics as they used a drone to find mock casualties, said Army Sgt. Maj. Bryan Goff, who worked in the planning group for the exercise.
With the information supplied by the drone, they determined the condition of soldiers and distinguished them from mannequins, who were considered dead for exercise purposes.
“If there’s one (soldier) that’s more critical than the others, that’s the one you need to save first, and you can make that decision before you leave cover,” Goff said.
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