AI system mounted to helmet can help firefighters navigate through smoke - KOKH

AI system mounted to helmet can help firefighters navigate through smoke

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) — When going into a burning home or building, firefighters can face zero visibility. Now, an artificial intelligence and augmented reality system mounted to a helmet can let firefighters see through smoke and navigate without a GPS, sharing what they are seeing with their commanders outside in real time.

Oklahoma City was one of only 30 cities in the country chosen to help in a Department of Homeland Security field assessment for this technology.

"DHS heard about this, and this was six, seven years ago. And what started off as a very small little project led to a $10 million project that resulted in 14 versions of this before it ever got into the position, into the form that you saw today," said Sam Cossman, CEO of Qwake Technologies.

During the assessment, crews finished search and rescue efforts in about half the time.

"We are fortunate when we following our vision there was a DHS opportunity that came out and said, hey, we have this great opportunity in this Qwake C-THRU device to lean in. They opened it up to departments and we stepped through the door," said Chief Richard Kelley with the Oklahoma City Fire Department.

On Monday morning, the technology was used in front of the Oklahoma State Capitol with live fire demonstrations.

State and local leaders were there to see the technology Oklahoma helped develop in action.

"We just want to make sure that our firefighters have the best technology available, and I think we always have but here now there's new technology on the market and not only are we getting our hands on it we were actually a city that was very integral to the proving out of this of this incredible technology," said Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt.

The technology is designed to aid in helping firefighters get home safely.

"The way we honor the name of a fallen firefighter is to make sure we have fewer names to add to our Memorial Wall," said Victor Stagnaro, CEO of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. "That's why today is so important. Too many of the names we read belong to firefighters who became lost or disoriented inside a burning building. Who ran short of air before they were able to find their way out."

This technology is being deployed nationwide.