What is a major limitation of relying solely on gas-sensing technology to find survivors?
Answer
It may return a false negative if the survivor is unconscious or not breathing.
Gas detection methods are fundamentally dependent on the biological act of respiration. If a survivor is unconscious, has experienced a temporary cessation of breathing, or is trapped in a sealed chamber where gas exchange is completely blocked, the concentration of exhaled carbon dioxide will be insufficient for the sensors to detect. Consequently, the device fails to identify the presence of a person, demonstrating the need for redundant sensing modalities that can detect physiological signs independent of the breathing process.

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