There has been lots of news on the technology front in the last few weeks. Here is a look at three innovative ideas that will aid those who work in emergency medical services.

1. Automatic assistance

The European Union — that august body across the pond addicted to overregulation — is mandating that all new cars be able to automatically self-report accidents and summon assistance, beginning with the 2018 models. Over there, the system is labeled "eCall." It's a tad more sophisticated than the satellite-driven OnStar and similar systems currently in use around the globe today.

With eCall, onboard automobile sensors automatically discern the number of vehicle occupants as well as precise vehicle position before automatically summoning help. No doubt the system will have some bugs at first and a false position problem, but on the whole it is likely to expedite response times and save lives.

Overall, automobile crashes remain a leading cause of accidental death — but airbags, seat belts, energy-absorbing structures and better emergency medicine all have contributed to significantly lower fatality rates over the last three decades in the United States.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that from 1979 to 2005, the number of auto accident deaths per year decreased 14.97 percent, while the number of deaths per capita decreased by 35.46 percent. In 2010, there were an estimated 5.4 million crashes (30,296 fatal crashes), killing 32,999 and injuring 2.2 million. The 32,479 traffic deaths in 2011 were the lowest in six decades.

2. Need a defibrillator? There's an app for that

So say you're an EMT out for a nice dinner, and the guy at the table next to you takes a header into his soup. No time to wait for an ambulance, you need an automatic electronic defibrillator (AED) fast.

There's one in the building next door. You don't know that, but your smartphone does.

The PulsePoint Foundation and Physio-Control have launched PulsePoint AED, a mobile app designed to build a growing registry of AEDs that can be used during cardiac emergencies. It's designed to complement the PulsePoint Respond mobile app that connects members of the public with CPR training to heart attack victims and locate nearby AEDs. The apps are free and available on iOS and Android mobile devices.

3. Robocopter to the rescue

You knew this was coming. On March 26, an unmanned K-Max helicopter was used to demonstrate a successful medevac. During the demonstration, a distress call led ground operators to send an unmanned ground vehicle to assess the area and injured party. The ground operators used control stations that communicated with one another.

Upon successful identification, the ground operators requested airlift by the unmanned helicopter of the "injured" individual. Helicopter operators on the ground used a tablet computer to determine the precise location of the injured and identify a safe landing area nearby. The injured party was then strapped into a seat mounted on the side of the unmanned helicopter that then flew him out.