Police Officer’s Wearable Sensor to Alert in Case of Injury
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One of the risks evolving during police operations is that when an officer is injured, the period of time until help arrives might be long and critical. A new wearable sensor technology named Automatic Injury Detection (AID) provides on the spot rescue alerts when a police deputy comes under attack and can save lives.
The AID panel consists of a thin film with an ink trace that covers the area of the film. When that trace is broken by a sharp edge or bullet, AID detects the event and sends an emergency alert to a phone or radio that can forward the notification through the communication infrastructure to emergency services or backup personnel. According to datasoft.com, the panel can be worn in the front and back – typically in the body armor carrier, in front of the ballistic panel. Each panel has two separate zones so that the system can detect injuries in all areas.
According to nbc-2.com’s report, AID, which costs $150-$375 per unit is made of a light-weight, flexible polyester material and is equipped with a small sensor.
“If the officer is shot, stabbed or injured by shrapnel, the technology automatically transmits through a communications module the officer’s ID and his location,” said President of Select Engineering Services and AID co-inventor Bob Ufer.
Other active sensor capabilities include a wireless connectivity for wearables and biometric sensors, a sensor gateway for Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) applications, wired/wireless communication for monitoring sensors in cameras, firearms, machines, etc.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia became the first law enforcement agency to buy it in February. Six others around the country have followed. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office could now become the first in the state to purchase AID.
“Our training department is researching the technology,” said Katie Heck, CCSO public information officer. “We’re always open to new things that are, you know, helping officer safety.”
