New Technology Could Help PJs Save Lives

Engineers with the 711th Human Performance Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, are working on wearable technology that would allow pararescue jumpers to treat several wounded service members at once, according to a release. The technology, called the Battlefield Airmen Trauma Distribution Observation Kit, or BATDOK, is part of a larger program known as BATMAN: Battlefield Air Targeting Man-Aided Knowledge. “Currently, PJs treat patients one-to-one. Now we can have one PJ treat and monitor multiple patients simultaneously,” said Gregory Burnett, the program’s chief engineer. BATDOK runs on a smartphone, but can be used on other devices as well. It can be kept in a pocket or mounted on a PJ’s wrist or chest. BATDOK includes wireless sensors that, when placed on a patient, send vital statistics to the phone or computer screen. The kit is being tested by Air Force Special Operations Command and Air Combat Command, as well as at training locations around the US, according to the Air Force.