Zain Majid | Augmenting the First Responder: Adopting progressive methods in rescuing

 
With technology becoming more scalable and economical, there is a perceptible trend of broader adoption in previously expensive areas, such as the military, firefighting, and medical sectors. Breaking ground in mixed reality technologies (innovative VR headsets to the Microsoft HoloLens) has also made it conducive for emerging media and technologies to continue to evolve. My research is focused in an AR context and scopes into “augmenting” the first responder and making their process the most efficient it can be. From global political movements(BLM, police brutality, the Israeli-Palestenian conflict) to global natural disasters demanding firefighters and medical professionals on the scene immediately, I explore how augmented reality can, and how it should, apply to critical issues for the first responder. Through the lens of a firefighter in a burning building, the user is immersed into a VR simulation in which they are equipped with an AR headset capable of monitoring the vitals of civilians in the virtual environment. The user is evaluated on several criteria: the ability to surveil the environment in limited time and range of movement, detecting and comprehending the civilian’s vitals through the AI headset risk assessment, assessing the correct subject to be saved based on the situation, and completing the simulation within 90 seconds. Based on the realtime information the user receives, they are confronted with choices to respond effectively in the situation. For instance, the user may detect a civilian has a drastically inflated heart rate or is unconscious and must receive immediate assistance. Real time hand tracking coupled with an enveloping atmosphere of smoke and heat panels makes for a realistic rendering of a critical situation. The value of this AR technology in a real life scenario- when time is of the essence- makes all the difference in the loss or rescue of a life.