C-Thru
Wildfires, unfortunately, will continue to be a risk to public safety, and will likely increase in intensity and frequency with time. Qwake technologies, led by CEO Sam Cossman, created C-Thru in 2020 in anticipation of the growing demand for firefighters, C-Thru is a futuristic eyepiece for firefighters that augments their reality, making it easier to see obstacles and people. C-Thru is worn over one eye, as the designers were cognizant that it couldn’t interfere in any way with the firefighter’s breathing apparatus. What the firefighter sees is an augmented reality video stream created by a thermal camera and artificial intelligence software that identifies objects outlined by the infrared camera, resulting in outlines of people or obstacles. As a result, firefighters can navigate spaces more safely and reach people faster. Infrared is already frequently used, but the devices are handheld and attention has to be split between looking ahead and looking at the small monitor on the infrared device. C-Thru also connects a headset piece, so firefighters can communicate about what they see to one another. Seeing as nearly every corner of the planet will see a rise in fires, technologies like this fill a public safety niche that is open regardless of what causes a fire. This technology is still in the pilot phase, so it is difficult to know the cost of the final product and the financial feasibility of using C-Thru.
Categories
Artificial Intelligence, Immersive Technology, Lifestyle, Monitoring, Regulation
More Ideas
Air Pollution Robot
The dangers of air pollution to human health are well documented, though the traditional methodology of collecting and reporting on sample lags behind the need to keep abreast and regulate air pollution in a meaningful amount of time. The use of drones and robots have been identified by researchers as resources that can be tweaked […]
Artificial Life, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Industry/Natural Commodities, Lifestyle, Monitoring
Telematic Rivers
Erica Kermani’s artwork seeks to answer a central question: if rivers were seeing an equal, living entity, would humans take issues like climate change threatening them more seriously? In his year-long art exhibition in 2017, Kermani, in collaboration with Diana Salcedo & Jeana Chesnik, created a new forum of interaction between humans and rivers to […]
Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Lifestyle, Monitoring, Pollution, Visual Technologies
Co-occupied Boundaries
Art is easily found in nature but rarely is what considered art today inherently natural. The concept of co-occupied mediums that serve to be both functional for nature and aesthetically pleasing to people is being actively explored by Asya Ilgun and Phil Ayres, from the CITAstudio at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In […]
Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Lifestyle, Monitoring, Pollution, Visual Technologies