The long awaited Rescue Assist program, is finally being launched by the German auto manufacturer.
Mercedes Benz has now officially launched its simple and yet potentially highly useful system based on QR codes that will help first responders to emergency situations to be able to obtain vital information about a vehicle when they have arrived at the scene of a crash.
These quick response codes can be scanned in an instant to inform fire, police, and ambulance crews.
The QR codes are at the center of an exceptionally simple concept that could help to save lives and make rescues far faster and safer for victims and emergency responders, alike. These barcodes are printed onto stickers that are placed in certain typically accessible areas on the vehicle. They can then be scanned by a smartphone or tablet in order to provide the mobile device user with the precise model of the vehicle.
Scanning the QR codes will provide the emergency responders with critical details about that specific vehicle.
Among the details offered through the scan of the quick response codes are a full layout of the exact vehicle model, including the location of its airbags, the position of its batteries and high voltage cables, and even recommendations for the optimal cutting points to open up the vehicle in order to extract an occupant to bring him or her to safety from a serious crash.
The initial announcement by Mercedes of its intention to work on a Rescue Assist system based on quick response codes was made back in May 2013, and since that time it has been keeping the mobile technology world updated, now and then, with its latest developments. Its hope has always been to have the system ready to roll out in its 2015 models, and to be able to add the barcodes to its exiting vehicles.
Mercedes Benz has also announced that it has waved all rights to patent this concept. The goal is to encourage other auto manufacturers to take similar steps to add the QR codes to their own vehicles. This mirrors the move made by Volvo when it initially released its three-point seatbelt in 1959, which has been credited with saving more than one million lives, so far.
