AI to Reduce Litter Swaying During Helicopter Rescues.

* Artificial intelligence may soon assist the Army with critical helicopter rescue missions.

Colorado-based company Vita Inclinata Technologies sold 15 rescue systems to the Army at the end of 2021 to undergo trials at the Aeromedical Research Lab in Fort Rucker, Alabama. The attachment will make emergency rescues safer and easier for soldiers, said Derek Sikora, chief technology officer and cofounder of Vita.

The system is made up of a rescue litter and a battery-powered hoist that attaches to rotary-wing aircraft. The hoist uses sensors and computers running algorithms to determine the best action to reduce the spin, swing and sway of items it is carrying.

Being lifted into the air by a helicopter is not easy, Sikora said. Rotary-wing platforms--which often weigh 15,000 to 20,000 pounds--hover off the ground and generate buffets of air that easily push and pull what is hanging below them.

Typically, "it's this complex situation that requires this person on the ground, coordinating with the person on the line and... also coordinating with the aircraft," Sikora said. "It's just complexity that doesn't need to be there."

With Vita's system, all a soldier has to do is flip a switch, Sikora said. This also means the device is relatively easy to train on for operators. However, there is also a manual option for the system.

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