Firefighters in California have a new weapon in their arsenal to combat blazes: Augmented Reality.
Thanks to a device created by startup Quake Technologies, the technology is being used to navigate burning buildings and help save lives.
Firefighters wear a helmet-mounted device called C-THRU Navigator which outlines everything in a smoke-filled room in green.
- Firefighters in China are using big data to predict fires before they happen
Crucially, it means that firefighters don’t have to rely on their hands to guide them through burning buildings, meaning they can carry out their work more efficiently.
“Here, finally, we have a device that is hands-free. It’s got this border technology, it’s got this laser so we have situational awareness and depth, and we have great spatial awareness,” Harold Schapelhouman, Menlo Park Fire Chief, said.
“Not only can we be in that space a shorter period of time, it keeps us safer, it makes us more efficient and effective, he added.
According to a statement, the fire district have signed a deal with Quake technologies to equip every firefighter in the force with the device.