Firefighters can be up against large flames, heavy smoke and extremely low visibility.
Dr. Hovannes Kulhandjian, an associate professor at Fresno State, says some of those factors and firsthand experience from a previous student gave him the idea to develop a new tool to help firefighters find people and pets in low visibility.
"I said, 'Why don't we have a device that can do the same process but automate it and use some artificial intelligence?'" Kulhandjian said.
Three of his students took on the task as their senior design project.
They came up with an invention called the "System and Method for Human and Animal Detection in Low Visibility."
The device uses an infrared camera to detect heat, a radar sensor to detect motion, and a microphone to help better point firefighters in the right direction.
"So the beauty of our device is also that it can provide audio information. It can tell you not just visual, but also tell you that there is a person on the right side, how far that person is." Kulhandjian said.
All the information it collects is delivered directly to the firefighters in real time.
The invention is small enough to be used on a handheld device, a drone or a robot.
That means a drone can be deployed immediately and feed information to firefighters as they approach the scene.
"This could be used extensively in saving lives," Kulhandjian said.
In May of 2021, Dr. Kulhandjian and his former students filed for a patent. Last month, they formally received the 'Notice of Allowance' from the U.S. Patent Office.
He hopes the invention will someday be deployed widely and make a global impact.
"It's an amazing feeling, especially that we - it was my first patent. So hopefully, in the future, there might be some other patents that might come out." Kulhandjian said.
While the patent has been secured for that invention, the research and inventions continue.
Kulhandjian says they are also working on a brain-computer interface, which uses sensors to identify brain signals.
It could eventually help individuals with prosthetics to control their prosthetic limbs with their minds.
They're working on SARDOG, a robot used on the farm to automate different processes.
They're also developing the "Crossbot." The robot will help students and the visually impaired safely cross the street.
All of them are still in development but may eventually be submitted for a patent.
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