Communications of the ACM
Dogs, Technology, and the Future of Disaster Response
Researchers working on the Smart Emergency Response System have developed a high-tech harness that helps make rescue dogs more effective at collecting relevant information.
Credit: Alper Bozkurt
A team of U.S. researchers led by North Carolina State University (NCSU) are working on the Smart Emergency Response System (SERS), which aims to use cyber-physical systems to share information and coordinate emergency and disaster response and recovery. The researchers have developed a high-tech harness equipped with sensors and other devices that make rescue dogs more effective at collecting information.
"We're not trying to replace dog handlers; we're trying to open the door to new possibilities," says NCSU professor David Roberts, director of the Canine Instruction with Instrumented Gadgets Administering Rewards (CIIGAR) Lab.
The SERS dog harnesses include environmental monitoring, dog monitoring, and active communication. The dogs will be equipped with passive environmental monitoring devices that enable them to retrieve and transmit data from the field in real time.
"We're developing a platform for sensors that is designed to be plug-and-play, allowing emergency responders to further customize the harness," says NCSU professor Alper Bozkurt, director of the Integrated Bionic Microsystems Laboratory. The harness also includes new sensors that monitor a dog's behavior and physiology.
From The Abstract
View Full Article
Abstracts Copyright © 2014 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA
No entries found