The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has launched a three-year competition focused on improving emergency medical response in military and civilian mass casualty incidents.
The DARPA Triage Challenge aims to drive innovation that can aid medical personnel in the prioritization and acceleration of care in the case of MCI, the agency said Wednesday.
The $7 million challenge will be divided into primary triage-real world, primary triage-virtual, and secondary triage segments, each with a duration of 12 months. Some of the participants will be self-funded, others will be financed by DARPA and all teams can join one or multiple competitions.
The agency expects to see the use of technologies that can help identify casualties requiring the most urgent treatment and subsequently predict whether immediate lifesaving interventions are necessary. The competitors may use sensors, unmanned aircraft vehicles, algorithms and real-time data analytics.
“The DARPA Triage Challenge will gather communities with expertise in triage and emergency medical response, tactical combat casualty care, trauma physiology and a diverse array of physiological signatures and sensor and algorithm technologies that will continue to deliver innovative technologies that support medical responders beyond the Challenge,” explained U.S. Navy Commander and DTC Program Manager Jean-Paul Chretien.
