In this work the feasibility study of a medical equipment based on electromagnetic technology for breathing detection is presented; this system was designed to detect a victim buried from a landslide through the sensing of the thorax displacements due to breathing activity. The system was preliminary tested into a controlled environment and subsequently in a real scenario (a road construction site) where its use could minimize the time between the accident and the arrival of the first emergency team, so increasing the chance to save the victim's life.