SOS Vuelco: Virtual assistant for early detection and emergency alerts in agroforestry machinery rollover situations

The primary sector records one of the highest accident rates, owing to a combination of risk factors such as the age of the machinery in use or overconfidence in handling it. At the time of development, Asturias had nearly 30,000 registered tractors, many of them without rollover protection structures. In addition, given how inaccessible the work areas are and the solitary nature of these tasks, accidents go undetected for a long time, which can be crucial for the injured person.

The project's objectives were to:

• Prevent rollover risk situations involving agroforestry machinery through early detection of dangerous inclines.
• Reduce emergency services' response time to an accident in hard-to-reach areas.
• Guarantee that emergency alerts are sent even without an internet connection.

SOS Vuelco is structured around the following areas:

• Early detection: the system sounds an alert when it detects a potentially dangerous incline, so that the user can correct it as soon as possible, using the phone's own tilt and speed sensors.
• Automatic emergency alert: in the event of a rollover or impact, the app alerts 112 and the previously configured contacts, generating a voice message with all the information about the incident.
• Communication without an internet connection: a novel way of communicating with 112 makes it possible to send the injured person's geolocation even when there is no data connection.

CTIC developed SOS Vuelco under the collaboration and innovation agreement signed with the Instituto Asturiano de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales, and with the participation of Asturias's 112 emergency service. The app was presented publicly in February 2020 and remains available to download free of charge.