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NASA Used To Have An Earthquake Rescue Spinoff Called FINDER. Where Is It Now? [UPDATE]
NASA Used To Have An Earthquake Rescue Spinoff Called FINDER. Where Is It Now? [UPDATE]

Keith’s 13 Feb update I have spoken with some folks in the space biomedical community and seen some email chains about the use of FINDER tech in earthquake affected areas in Turkiye (Turkey). I am leaving names/organizations out of this so they can work un-hindered by my posting of their names. Shortly after/concurrent with my complaint last week on NASAWatch about NASA PAO ignoring this good news a bunch of people within NASA HQ, JPL and in the private sector were in motion to coordinate with one another. The utility of this NASA-developed spinoff technology was blatantly obvious to them – even if NASA PAO did not understand – or care that it was. Some FINDER units were already pre-positioned in Turkiye but more were needed. So this ad hoc network sprang into place and worked 24/7 such that and further pieces of hardware are now in place or enroute to Turkiye. I will update on this topic as I get additional information. It is heartwarming to see that a NASA inspired spinoff does exceed expectations and can actually help save lives. What is baffling – annoyingly so – is the continued indifference on the part of NASA Public Affairs. This is one instance where all of the NASA spinoff hype was utterly justified. It is also a stellar example of the potent soft power projection that NASA is capable of inspiring. Yet Marc Etkind et al just sit on their hands. Just sayin’. Keith’s 14 Feb update: Marc Etkind’s NASA PAO elite social media squad finally figured out how to tweet about this. Only took 5 days for a one paragraph update. It is not as if this tech is a secret – except to NASA PAO it would seem. Better late than never.

Keith’s 9 Feburary note: A few years ago NASA touted a tech transfer “spinoff” at JPL called “FINDER” – a device that uses microwave technology to detect heartbeats and other noises that could lead rescuers to victims buried by earthquakes. Cool stuff. In 2016 NASA held a demo down at Quantico, Virginia which I atteneded. I later wrote this piece describing how it all works. After a few mentions by NASA it essentially disappeared from the examples of spinoffs that NASA cites. With the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria one would think (hope) that new stories about this technology’s deployment would be posted – the hope being that NASA helped spread this technology for wider utilization. I seem to have found no examples of any recent mention. One would think that NASA would want to see this technology deployed as widely as possible for humanitarian reasons – as well as a potent method of soft power projection. NASA PAO no longer responds to inquiries about things like this – if they did I’d ask. Can anyone tell me if FINDER technology is still in use – and whether it is being deployed in the Middle East after this quake. Thanks. See NASA FINDER Technology Aids Search Following Mexico Earthquake from 2017 and “Using Space Radar To Hear Human Heartbeats in Nepal“(2016).

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  • NASA Watch
  • February 14, 2023
OIG: NASA Technology Efforts Are Still Incomplete and Out of Date
OIG: NASA Technology Efforts Are Still Incomplete and Out of Date

NASA OIG Report: NASA’s Efforts to Manage its Space Technology Portfolio “We found deficiencies in NASA’s management processes and controls that may limit the usefulness of the Agency’s efforts to better manage its space technology investments. First, although NASA has revised its technology roadmaps to provide additional information regarding how specific technologies will help meet Agency mission objectives, it needs to complete the ongoing revision of its Strategic Space Technology […]

  • NASA Watch
  • December 15, 2015
New Chief Technologist at NASA

NASA Names David W. Miller as Agency’s New Chief Technologist “NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced Thursday that David W. Miller, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Mass., has been named the agency’s new Chief Technologist. As chief technologist, he will be Bolden’s principal advisor and advocate on matters concerning agency-wide technology policy and programs.”

  • NASA Watch
  • March 13, 2014
There's No One Home at innovate.nasa.gov

Keith’s 30 Oct 4:52 pm note: What is innovate.nasa.gov? It claims to be “a collaboration platform to foster open discussion about technology across NASA and its external innovation community. This is the place for you to rethink and reinvent existing research, learn about NASA technology, and shape the conversation about future NASA innovation. We post information about NASA’s inventions and technology focus areas. You join other technology experts, researchers, and […]

  • NASA Watch
  • October 31, 2013
NASA's Technology Program Can't Explain or Coordinate Itself

.@NASASpinoff why don't @NASATechBriefs @NASA_Technology @NASATechgateway coordinate & retweet ALL #NASA tech news? Who's in charge? #NASA — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) October 25, 2013 NASA Technology That Can’t Link To Itself, earlier post Keith’s note: NASA Office of the Chief Technologist has no link to NASA Tech Briefs. NASA Tech Briefs does not link to NASA OCT. In fact, I did a search of the source HTML code on the […]

  • NASA Watch
  • October 30, 2013
Another NASA Technology Data Dump No One Will Know About

Keith’s note: NASA just loves to tell everyone about its spinoffs, commercial applications, tech transfer, and the ways that the private sector uses things developed at NASA. As such, you’d think that they’d tell people as soon as they learn of yet another spinoff or tech transfer opportunity. Not at all. NASA’s Patent Counsel, Office of the Chief Counsel sits on these things and issues them all at once in […]

  • NASA Watch
  • May 20, 2013
House Hearing on NASA Technology

“The purpose of this hearing will be to examine the direct economic and societal benefits that investments in NASA have generated and highlight those areas where continued investments could help stimulate the pipeline for future economic growth.” – Democrats Highlight Importance of the Nation’s Investments in NASA that Strengthen the American Economy, and Improve Our Daily Lives – Beyond Tang and Teflon: Witnesses Highlight NASA-Derived Technologies that Save Lives and […]

  • NASA Watch
  • July 12, 2012
NAC Tech & Innovation Committee: Do As We Say, Not As We Do

Keith’s 28 June note: If you look over at the calendar on the right side of NASA Watch you’ll note that the NASA Advisory Council and all of its committees are meeting toward the end of July. NASA has expanded the audience for these public meetings by putting them on Webex and dial-in audio feeds – live. A good use of technology – with one exception: the only committee that […]

  • NASA Watch
  • July 10, 2012
NASA Patent Offices Need to Coordinate Much Better Than They Do

NASA LaRC Notice of Intent To Grant an Exclusive License: Allotropica Technologies … Information about other NASA inventions available for licensing can be found online at http://techtracs.nasa.gov/. NASA KSC Notice of Intent To Grant Exclusive Copyright License: Diversified Industries, C&IS Inc. … Information about other NASA inventions available for licensing can be found online at http://technology.nasa.gov/. Keith’s note: These two official NASA notices regarding a “Notice of Intent To Grant […]

  • NASA Watch
  • May 8, 2012
NASA's Technology Transfer Continues To Be Uncoordinated

Right on schedule yesterday NASA LaRC posted 3 (not 2, not 4) of these Technology Transfer Opportunities. – NASA Technology Transfer Opportunity: Thin High Contrast Targets for Ultralightweight Structures – NASA Technology Transfer Opportunity: High Density Optical Storage System – NASA Technology Transfer Opportunity: New Probe for Detecting Deep Flaws in Structures Keith’s note: A week or so ago, I submitted some questions to NASA and Rich Atcliff at NASA […]

  • NASA Watch
  • May 1, 2012