Head Mounted Display HMD for Increased UrbanIndustrial Firefighting Safety and Efficiency

1
Head Mounted Display (HMD) for Increased
Urban/Industrial Firefighting Safety and
Efficiency

• Joel Wilson
• October 25, 2004

2
Presentation Overview

• Introduction of Fire Information and Rescue
  Equipment (FIRE) Project
• Current Prototypes
• User Needs Assessment
• Design Alternatives
• Future Work

3
The Problem

• Firefighting requires quick and complicated
  assessing, planning, coordinating
• Frequently inadequate information for
• Situational awareness
• Navigation
• Victim rescue
• Finding fire locations
• Poor communication between
• Incident Commander (Chief) and firefighters
• Captains and their company
• Buddy to Buddy

4
FIRE System Overview
5
FIRE System Components

• FireEye (HMD) Goals
• Simplified local area floorplan
• Fire locations
• Company personnel locations
• Text messages from IC
• SCBA remaining air
• eICS Goals
• Status Location of Firefighters
• Communication
• Fire/Smoke/CO/Temperature Information
• SmokeNet Goals
• WSN based on Crossbow Mica2
• Backbone for FireEye and eICS
• Provides room-accurate location of fire personnel

6
Presentation Overview

• Introduction of Fire Information and Rescue
  Equipment (FIRE) Project
• Current Prototypes
• User Needs Assessment
• Design Alternatives
• Future Work

7
Mounting Location Considerations

• Inside mask gives protection from heat and
  impacts
• Placed in lower right corner of field of view to
  minimize distraction to user
• Mounting to nose piece
• Allows quick insertion/removal of display for
  cleaning
• Minimal mask modifications
• Shock and heat buffer

8
Direct View FireEye

• Uses an Eyetop personal display with a Kopin 6
  mm color AMLCD
• Has adjustable focus and position
• Designed with SolidWorks
• Packaged and mounted to be level and low in FOV
• Floorplan image is simple and minimally
  distracting when not needed

9
See-Through Optics Designs

• Parabolic or Spherical Mirror and Beamsplitter
• Example of design by Microvision
• Would require mounting a mirror above eye in
  mask, which would be distracting, and may not
  have the room to safely mount it

10
See-Through Optics Designs Continued

• Free-Form Surface Prism by Canon
• Has advantages of being compact, durable, and
  transmits a brighter image than beamsplitter
• Very difficult and expensive to design and
  manufacture

11
Chosen See-Through Optics Design

• Micro display, such as an LCD, shines through
  lens train, 90-degree prism, and beamsplitter
• Shows user a virtual image focusable to infinity
• Optics used are relatively inexpensive

12
See-Through FireEye

• Same internals as Direct view
• Cube beamsplitter added LCD reversed
• Advantages
• Greater eye clearance more viewing comfort
• Better compatibility with glasses kit
• Disadvantages
• Heavier, more expensive
• Longer image path length FOV may vignette
• 50 as bright
• Bright backgrounds

13
Berkeley FD Recent Demo Feedback

• Proposed Solutions
• Integrate a ball joint for more adjustability
• Clear operating instructions contact lens for
  FireEye
• Larger font higher resolution (cost)
• Integrate cell phone type vibrator motor

• Problems mentioned
• Cannot see the whole screen
• Image too blurry or cannot focus it enough
• Cannot read room numbers
• Would not have seen text message

14
Presentation Overview

• Introduction of Fire Information and Rescue
  Equipment (FIRE) Project
• Current Prototypes
• User Needs Assessment
• Design Alternatives
• Future Work

15
User Needs Assessment

• Berkeley FD demos feedback
• Primary Mask Requirements
• Protects face from heat and impacts
• Guides fresh air to mouth and de-fogs face shield
• Gives a clear view of surroundings
• Is easily cleaned and maintained
• Adjustable and comfortable

16
User Needs Assessment Continued

• Primary HMD Requirements
• Cannot compromise mask requirements
• Durable to withstand knocks, vibrations, heat,
  cold
• Can be mass produced and inexpensive
• Readable at a glance (good GUI design)
• Minimally distracting to user
• Easy to clean and maintain
• Waterproof
• Adjustable position and focus
• Compatible with glasses kit

17
User Needs Assessment Continued

• Secondary Display Specifications Firefighters
  Would Like
• Comfortable eye clearance (distance from eye to
  screen)
• Infrared mode
• Readable when looking into bright light
• Wireless
• Low power consumption resulting in long battery
  life

18
Presentation Overview

• Introduction of Fire Information and Rescue
  Equipment (FIRE) Project
• Current Prototypes
• User Needs Assessment
• Design Alternatives
• Future Work

19
Concept Selection for FireEye Design

• HMD Designs Considered
• Image projected onto face shield
• Not enough space to project a large image, extra
  optics, cost, complexity
• Removed display with coherent fiber optic cable
  for image relay
• Expensive, delicate, difficult to have a fiber
  optic quick-disconnect coupling
• Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) mounted onto
  face shield
• Could be very compact, but must be replaced when
  face shield is replaced may get too hot OLEDs
  are still expensive

20
Concept Selection for FireEye Design Continued

• Direct view
• Looking directly at screen image through a lens
  simple, inexpensive, durable
• See-through
• Optics create a semi-transparent image
• More expensive and complex than Direct view, but
  gives enhanced situational awareness (less
  obstructing)
• Direct view and see-through chosen
• Less expensive and more rugged

21
Presentation Overview

• Introduction of Fire Information and Rescue
  Equipment (FIRE) Project
• Current Prototypes
• User Needs Assessment
• Design Alternatives
• Future Work

22
Future Work

• FireEye Control Box
• Durably packaged computer
• Controls GUI
• Stores floor plan and sensor information
• Houses the SmokeNet mote
• Worn in coat pocket or on SCBA backpack
• FireEye Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• Must meet firefighters information needs
• Location of personnel and fire air supply
• Will show a simplified local-area floorplan

23
Future Work Continued

• FireEye User Control
• Most systems automated
• Vibration alert for incoming messages or low air
• SmokeNet sensory updates to GUI
• Location map view should move with user
• Environmental data smoke alarm activations and
  hot zones
• Manual control for some features
• Possible map zoom in/out feature
• Voice control further complicates system, higher
  cost, environment is very noisy
• One button would be simple, but may be
  accidentally triggered
• Yes/no communication with IC
• Lever on spring- returns to neutral or two
  buttons

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Future Work Continued

• Durability testing
• FireEye must pass OSHA and National Fire
  Protection Agency (NFPA) 1982, 1998 Edition
  standards
• Efficiency Study
• Hypothesis Firefighter efficiency in navigating
  complex structures and performing fire
  extinguishing operations is improved with an
  appropriately detailed HMD linked to a capable
  wireless sensor network
• Experiments with test subjects
• Performing timed tasks with and without a HMD
• Analyzing decision making capabilities
• User feedback questionnaires on likes/dislikes,
  helpfulness, how and when it is used

25
Thank You

• Any questions or comments?