Firefighters have a tough job no question, so if technology can be used to make their jobs easier then it’s for the benefit of everyone. Swiss company Darix plans to aid firefighters as they search smoke filled burning buildings for survivors by using augmented reality (AR). Darix has designed the VizIR, a device similar to Google Glass, which can be used to see in the dark.
The hands free system utilises a head-mounted camera connected to the VizIR AR glasses giving a small window in which firefighters can then see through smoke using thermal imaging. This window is put directly in the users view allowing them to see what’s directly in front of them, whilst avoiding obscuring anything.
The team has been experimenting with what colours work best and VizIR Project Manager Adrien Birbaumer explains: “We put a lot of effort into finding out which are the best colours to use in our system. Of course we use blue as colder colour and red as hotter colour. But we also found out that we need to have some specific colours in order to work well with transparent displays.”
VizIR is currently still very much in the development phase focused on the user experience. Moving forward the company now plans to adapt the tech to firefighting equipment. The AR glasses Darix uses won’t fit inside a breathing mask, a vital component for firemen heading into smoke and fire filled buildings. So the next stage is to combine them both together.
As VizIR develops VRFocus will bring you the latest announcements.
