Canine and technology to the rescue of survivors

Dubai: The Ministry of Interior is using technology big time in search and rescue operations. At their Gitex stand they show how a digital camera mounted on a dog is helping locate survivors under collapsed structures.

The ministry is represented by the headquarters of the Abu Dhabi Police.

The wireless camera on the five-year-old Labrador transmits images to the mobile screen of its handler who can quickly zero in on the trapped victims, enabling swift rescue. "These dogs have a very keen sense of smell and they can reach places where their handlers cannot and search through rubble for survivors after a disaster. Through this wireless camera they can record picture and sound of the survivors and transmit it automatically up to 80 metres away through a device which is provided to the rescue team," Major Saeed Khalifa Bin Riyad, Abu Dhabi Police, said.

Abu Dhabi Search and Rescue K-9 has a big team and has participated in search and rescue tasks in Pakistan, Indonesia, Afghanistan and Iran.