A domestic research team has developed technology to track the location of vehicles involved in hit-and-run accidents or fleeing criminals.
A research team led by Professor Lee Jong-ho of the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) has developed technology to launch functional electronic devices that use a thin, widely spread elastic adhesive to securely attach and maintain stability to targets, they noted on the 24th. The research findings were published online in the journal "Advanced Functional Materials" on the 20th.
When drivers commit crimes such as drunk driving, drug use, or hit-and-run and flee, the intense chase can lead to serious injuries not only for the pursuer and the fugitive but also for ordinary citizens. Therefore, there is a need for technology that can easily track the location of fleeing vehicles. Additionally, if wireless cameras can be installed on-site during disasters such as fires to monitor indoor conditions, it could increase the possibility of identifying survivors and facilitating rescues without loss of life.
To track the location of fleeing vehicles and monitor indoor situations at disaster sites, it must be possible to remotely attach GPS or cameras to moving vehicles or places that cannot be reached directly by hand. This requires remote launch and attachment technology that can not only adhere adhesive materials to various surfaces but also maintain the adhesion condition for a long time.
The research team succeeded in developing 'remote rotational spreading attachment technology,' which allows the adhesive material to spread thinly and widely only during the launch, much like stretching pizza dough. This technology increased the adhesion strength of the adhesive material while allowing it to firmly adhere to narrow and uneven surfaces such as columns, steel grids, slopes, and protruding surfaces. It was confirmed that heavy objects could be hung or pulled on surfaces such as car body panels, glass, emblems, wipers, bumpers, tires, wheels, and both interior and exterior walls of buildings while maintaining adhesion for much longer.
The research team demonstrated that this technology could be applied in the fields of location tracking, wireless monitoring, and rescue activities in emergency situations. They fired and attached launchable tracking devices to the rear of a vehicle traveling at 60 kilometers per hour to track real-time location information. In emergency situations, they reliably launched and attached launchable devices equipped with wireless cameras to the internal walls and ceilings of buildings to monitor the interior landscape wirelessly.
The research team stated, "It took numerous trials and efforts to develop an adhesive technology that securely attaches objects regardless of the surface shape while minimizing damage to the attachment surface. We hope this technology can be widely used in various fields such as defense, law enforcement, and disaster response in the future."
Reference material
Advanced Functional Materials (2024), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202419489