Menlo Park firefighters are testing augmented reality (AR) tools designed to aid in making rescues in interior attacks.
Menlo Park firefighters are experimenting with a helmet-mounted AR display that allows them to see through the smoke, Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen told KPIX.
The technology, called the “see-through visual communication platform,” is developed by San Francisco-based Quake Technologies and employs advances derived from military systems and self-driving cars.
The system uses a computer capable of withstanding extreme heat, a thermal lens, and a heads-up display similar to that of a jet fighter pilot. The AR tool highlights edges, mixes thermal imaging with structural outlines, and even facilitates Mayday responses.
“The nice thing is I can see the heat source and the internal structural members—whether it’s stairways, doorways, ceilings, or even people,” Lorenzen told KPIX. “It’s so much better than the old thermal imaging cameras.”
Menlo Park is one of the first fire departments to test the technology. The project is supported by the Department of Homeland Security.
