In emergency situations, it is crucial to locate first responders within buildings to ensure their safety, especially in dangerous environments such as burning buildings where the indoor surroundings can rapidly change, potentially trapping first responders. Knowing the precise location of first responders while they are in the building allows for additional personnel or resources to be deployed, which can greatly benefit their overall safety. However, existing location determination technologies, such as GPS, are unreliable and relatively inaccurate as a location determination method in indoor structures due to signal obstruction. Other indoor location-tracking systems on the market come with varying advantages but do not meet the demands for versatility, dependability, and accuracy essential to first-responder tracking. Therefore, there is an unmet need for highly accurate location tracking systems for first responders that could greatly benefit from such technology. AdaptiTrace meets the accuracy and versatility needs required for first responder tracking technology by using a combination of novel robotic localization technologies and custom-designed algorithms for highly accurate, reliable, and versatile XYZ three-dimensional positioning.
Unlike other indoor location-tracking systems on the market, AdaptiTrace’s system does not require complex infrastructure to be installed in a building prior to usage for tracking. Instead, AdaptiTrace has developed a set of revolutionary standalone indoor location tracking and systems through their sensor fusion technology. AdaptiTrace applies principles from the latest robotics localization and mapping technologies to map and track first responders’ XYZ location dynamically in real-time. The AdaptiTrace system consists of wearable sensor systems equipped on first responder units that are mounted on common equipment such as air packs and helmets. When first responders enter a building, AdaptiTrace’s systems can localize their precise position in 3D and map their position with high accuracy (with a margin of error of about 20-50 cm) in real-time.
AdaptiTrace achieves this high level of location tracking accuracy through algorithms and calculations from a combination of various sensor data. Through this sensor-fusion technology, AdaptiTrace can accurately determine the XYZ position of multiple first responders, even in the largest and most complex indoor structures. Additionally, AdaptiTrace’s software system dynamically generates a multilayered 3D map as first responders move through a building, enabling intuitive visualization and analysis of the first-responder team’s distribution within a building. AdaptiTrace is collaborating with seven first responder partners located throughout the east coast of the United States to develop a breakthrough solution that meets the needs of first responders across the country.