January 08, 2016

In 2015, the virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) industry was widely heralded as the next tectonic shift in computing. But it’s also an industry that investors are cautious to enter while everyone’s cards are still face down. It may take years before mass consumer adoption, but in 2016 we still have a huge opportunity to help shape this industry.

January 05, 2016

Imagine a firefighter in a burning building, charging into rooms filled with smoke, flames, and imminent danger. Injury comes with the job, and when an incident occurs, search teams must trust communications systems to rescue our community heroes. Even with current global positioning systems (GPS), environmental surroundings, weather and uncontrollable circumstances can affect locating our first responders.

November 23, 2015

The future of wearables could be inked on your skin. Chaotic Moon, a software design and development firm based in Austin, Texas, is developing a high-tech tattoo made of components and conductive paint to create circuitry to basically turn you into a cyborg…er collect health and other biometric data from your body.

April 30, 2015

It is amazing to think of where we have been and where we might be going. What will fire-based EMS look like in 10 years—in 2025? I can only guess, but I have a pretty good idea. How? Based on a look at the past—and how everything we do is evolutionary and not revolutionary—each step on the rung up the ladder seems to change things ever so slightly and tweak it to make things better.

December 31, 2011

In this paper we present our approach for informing the design of ubiquitous computing by using pattern languages of human practice. By linking ethnography and design, this approach makes it possible to tackle the social dimension of ubiquitous computing in the design processes. Adding to the existing research on patterns of human practice for design, we solidify the methodology for creating pattern language by identifying its links with grounded theory and action research and, via an example of a navigation support system for frontline firefighters, showing how a pattern language becomes part of the design process.

October 01, 2004

Many sensor network applications require location awareness, but it is often too expensive to include a GPS receiver in a sensor network node. Hence, localization schemes for sensor networks typically use a small number of seed nodes that know their location and protocols whereby other nodes estimate their location from the messages they receive. Several such localization techniques have been proposed, but none of them consider mobile nodes and seeds.

C-Thru Smoke Diving Helmet helps firefighters to see clearly in smoke-filled buildings to do rescue missions. Using their traditional firefighting equipment, they have to keep hand contact with walls or crawl on the ground while carrying heavy air support and hand held equipment, this can slow down the rescue process.

The Next Generation First Responder (NGFR) Apex Program seeks to help tomorrow's first responder be more protected, connected and fully aware.When firefighters, law enforcement officers and paramedics have enhanced protection, communication and situational awareness, they are better able to save lives and make it home safely.