The International Congress of Aviation and Space Medicine
begins on Sunday in Jerusalem • It will provide a glimpse into the most exciting
new developments in the field • The guest of honor will be REX, a unique
robot-dog that can transport equipment.
A helmet that would allow ground control to take over an
aircraft should the pilot lose consciousness; an unmanned aerial vehicle that
can evacuate wounded soldiers under fire without endangering lives; and a
robotic dog that would assist combat soldiers with moving equipment and
evacuating the wounded -- these are just three of the many exciting innovations
to be presented at the 61st annual International Congress of Aviation and Space
Medicine beginning on Sunday at the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem.
One of the most intriguing inventions to be presented is a
helmet equipped with special sensors that can detect when the pilot is subject
to a strong G-force, leading to loss of consciousness. The sensors will monitor
the pilot's vital signs and other clinical indicators, and in the event of a
medical problem, it will allow for remote control of the aircraft.
Israelis have a painful experience with this phenomenon.
Just weeks after Israel Air Force pilot Captain Asaf Ramon, son of the late
Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, completed the IAF pilot training course in 2009,
he took part in operational training aboard an F-16A Fighting Falcon jet. He
apparently lost consciousness while in flight, leading to a plane crash and his
death.
The conference is being held under the auspices of Dr.
Yehezkel Caine, a former combat helicopter pilot, and now an aerospace medicine
expert and director of Herzog Hospital. According to Dr. Caine, some of the
innovations will soon be operational. The conference will also showcase newly
developed technologies in the field of human factors engineering and medicine.
"REX," developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, is one of
many innovations to be presented at the conference. It is a robotic dog capable
of transporting equipment and people. Another technology is a UAV capable of
entering battlefields to evacuate the injured without endangering air force
personnel. A representative from NATO will be present at the conference to
discuss the requirements for evacuation by unmanned air vehicles.
The conference takes place annually in various global
locales and attracts leaders from around the world in the fields of aerospace
and health. This year, there will be a panel devoted to the topic of space
medicine, in light of developments in space tourism. In recent years, civilians
have registered to fly into space with Virgin Galactic, a subsidiary of Virgin
Group Ltd. Its first commercial flight is scheduled for December 25. Space
tourists, unlike astronauts, do not undergo years of rigorous training before
flying to space, and the panel will discuss the resulting health implications.
Among the experts taking part in the conference are International
Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine President Tony Batchelor; Aerospace
Medical Association President Dr. James Webb; Professor Yossi Leshem of the Life
Sciences faculty of Tel Aviv University; the chief medical officer of the Israel
Defense Forces, Brig. Gen. Dr. Itzik Kryce; and head of the IAF manpower
department, Brig. Gen. Ilan Boger.
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