Firefighters Test Prototypes That Improve Navigation in Smoky Environments
This post is also available in: 
עברית (Hebrew)
Firefighters in Denver have recently got a preview of potential future technology that can improve their safety and communication capabilities in burning buildings. This was part of a competition between firms to see which prototype can best help firefighters navigate through dangerous situations.
All of the prototype devices were incorporated in the firefighter’s equipment and involved haptic technology. The devices utilized vibrations or touch sensations to tell the firefighters in which direction to go in a dangerous situation.
Four different teams of developers from across the United States have stepped up to compete in the program, sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The goal of the competition was to get the firefighters in and out of a dark smoky building as fast as possible. The winning developer will be awarded $25,000.
One of the technologies tested involved a glove that sends vibrations to the firefighter wearing it. Depending on where the vibration occurs in the glove, the firefighter will know which direction to go. In the future such vibrations could be an alternative to radio communications. Cbslocal.com reports that firefighters often use their hands to feel around and find their way through dark and smoky areas, so such a technology could be incredibly beneficial.
Another team of developers have developed a prototype that sends vibrations via the firefighter’s helmet and jacket, working similarly to the above prototype.
The prototypes that have been involved in the competition will most likely not be on shelves or even in operation anytime soon, but hopefully one day these devices will help firefighters save lives.
“None of it is anything you’ll see on the market tomorrow,” said Dereck Orr, Division Chief with the Public Safety Communications Research Division at NIST. “What were trying to do is generate these new companies and these new innovators that want to get involved in public safety and take this technology forward.”
