In geographical areas where there is no coverage of the mobile phone service, the citizen does not have the possibility to establish any contact to request help with his smartphone.
However, it is possible, with the technology developed, to give any smartphone the ability to generate a distress signal. This signal informs the GNSS (GPS / Glonass / Galileo) location and is detectable several kilometers away.
The technology developed consists of two fundamental elements, the software (App) incorporated in the emitting smartphone and a receiving device designed to receive and interpret the signal.
The
smartphone must be equipped with a GNSS receiver and a Wi-Fi interface, elements found in almost all smartphones on the market. In addition, it must have installed an App, specifically designed by the researchers of the University, that emits the distress signal detectable by the receiving device. The developed App can be used by any smartphone that owns the Android operating system. Also, the App could be developed for other operating systems.
The
receiving device used by rescue teams or mountain refuges, allows the signal to be detected several kilometers away, depending on the terrain orographic conditions and the physical characteristics of its antenna. The device has a small antenna and it connects to the rescuer's smartphone where the received signals are displayed.
When an incident occurs, the injured person only has to activate the App of the smartphone that will emit the signal periodically indicating the coordinates of his position.
Rescue teams equipped with the portable receiving device will perform their search operations with the advantage that they do not need to have visual contact with the injured person. At the moment they can detect a single signal, that will indicate the exact position of the injured, even if it is several kilometers away.