American Agencies Test Radar for Locating Trapped People-英语听力

[00:00.100]From VOA Learning English, [00:02.290]this is the Technology Report. [00:06.040]When a building collapses, [00:08.750]every minute is important for victims [00:12.540]buried under the wreckage, [00:14.400]that is why two American government agencies [00:18.160]teamed up to develop a high-tech tool [00:22.160]to find those who are trapped. [00:25.200]The Department of Homeland Security and NASA, [00:29.510]the National Aeronautics and Space Administration [00:33.100]took part in the project. [00:35.700]Rescue crews have been testing the state-of-the-art [00:40.260]radar tool called FINDER. [00:42.720]The name may short for Finding individuals [00:46.220]for Disaster and Emergency Response. [00:50.170]This radar device can recognize [00:53.480]a person's smallest movements or even a heart beat, [00:58.510]even when the individual is unable to communicate. [01:03.370]Earlier this year, Homeland Security and rescuers [01:08.630]used FINDER to carry out more than 65 test searches [01:15.120]in the American state of Virginia. [01:18.330]They say, the tests prove successful [01:22.690]in recognizing a human heart beat under 9 metres [01:27.630]of mixed concrete and other material. [01:31.300]The device was also able to identify a heart beat [01:36.500]hidden behind 6 metres of solid concrete, [01:40.810]and from a distance of up to 30 metres in open spaces. [01:46.570]It is an example of how space agency creations [01:51.320]are helping people here on earth. [01:54.320]FINDER's technology is based on the tracking technology [01:59.470]that NASA uses for its spacecraft. [02:03.690]Jim Lux is with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. [02:09.190]"FINDER works by sending a low-power microwave signal, [02:11.740]and it illuminates the rubble pile, [02:13.940]and some of the microwaves go in [02:15.480]and reflect off the victim inside and come back out. [02:18.340]So FINDER sees both the reflection from the rubble, [02:21.140]which does not move, [02:22.040]and a very tiny reflection from the victim, [02:24.190]which does move, because when you breathe [02:25.790]and when your heart beats, [02:26.990]your skin moves a little bit and we can see that," Lux said. [02:28.800]Jim Lux says the device is small, [02:31.940]easy to carry and easy to use. [02:36.640]"It goes out and collects 30-seconds' worth of data, [02:39.200]because that is how long you need to get the heartbeat [02:41.940]and the breathing, and then it analyzes it [02:43.950]and displays it for the user," Lux said. [02:45.750]FINDER could be used with other tools rescuers use, [02:49.750]such as listening devices or search dogs. [02:53.660]Matthew Tamillow works with Virginia Task Force 1. [02:58.370]He says the new technology could help rescuers [03:03.160]in deciding which buildings to search. [03:07.380]"This type of technology, including FINDER, [03:09.730]could aid in the assistance of triaging a building to say, [03:13.790]'Okay, there is a strong probability [03:16.090]that a live victim could be in here, [03:18.250]and we need to devote our valuable human resources [03:21.210]into searching it,'" said Tamillow. [03:23.460]FINDER is still being developed and tested. [03:26.860]NASA says it could start being used in search [03:31.120]and rescue operation as early as next year. [03:35.420]And that is the Technology Report from VOA Special English.