Firefighters testing new technology after Hot Shot deaths
[MUSIC]
The 2013 Yarnell Hill fire claimed the lives of 19 Granite Mountain hot shots from Prescott, Arizona, when the firefighter's exact location couldn't be pinpointed.
They were quickly being overrun by fire.
And again some of the last words prior to them parachuting into the fire were where are you?
Now technology originally developed for the military by New York based Persistent Systems aims to significantly improve two way communications between fire crews and wildfire command centers.
Please [UNKNOWN] your sensor to that area.
See if you can establish communication.
Wave really, is mobile at heart networking.
It allows every radio, to repeat through every other radio.
No matter how they move, no matter how dynamic the situation becomes.
In Prescott Arizona, firefighters are putting Wave, really to the test.
It comes as a harness, and it, it, it gets affixed to your chest.
And it's got a little flip down tablet as you can see right here.
Then it's got a radio system here.
The radio service personal cell towers for firefighters, enabling command centers to better track what's happening in the field.
We've got a fire crew.
We've got a couple of different firefighter elements.
And firefighters to know more about the lay of the land.
By drawing on a tablet an operations supervisor can remotely guide a fireman to a safer location.
Pictures and live video can also be shared.
Crews not only receive information via wave relay they can use an android tablet to send crucial information back to the command center.
I can grab an icon that like a little water supply.
iPhone.
And I can drag it and drop it exactly where that water supply is.
And everybody else can see that.
You can actually look at an area, pull a helicopter over.
And it will tell you if the area you're standing in is an adequate landing zone for that specific style of helicopter.
Wave relay relies on line of sight for communication but there are ways to extend the range of the network.
One way is to put a radio up on an airplane.
No one gets to cheat the laws of physics, but wave relay hops around it.
Mountain repeaters help signals hop over ridges.
Drones are also used to connect radios.
Wave relay also has a lot of applications with unmanned vehicles.
Be it quadcopters or [INAUDIBLE] airplanes that you throw up, it's very small airplanes from 4 to 10 pounds, that go up and become a [UNKNOWN] relay, or provide their video feed down to the ground.
While the [INAUDIBLE] relay system does show promise, it does need further refining
[INAUDIBLE] as compared to a standard [INAUDIBLE] firefighting radio.
So this might be something that would, you take off your chest and put it in your backpack.
Cost is also a concern for fire departments.
You're looking at here, in its prototype is about 10,000 dollars.
Persistent systems and the Prescott fire department plan to continue the testing.
Roger that, fireman one out.
With an eye towards using wave relays during next year's fire seasons.
In Minden Nevada I'm Sumi Das, CNET.com for CBS News.
Up Next
Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference
Up Next
Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference
Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro
Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro
Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference
Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference
Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?
Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?
Apple Has Big Ideas for a Smart Ring
Apple Has Big Ideas for a Smart Ring
SpaceX's Starship 3rd Flight Attempt (Supercut)
SpaceX's Starship 3rd Flight Attempt (Supercut)
Apple Has Big AI Plans for Mac — and iPhone, Too
Apple Has Big AI Plans for Mac — and iPhone, Too
Apple Updates 13- and 15-Inch MacBook Air With M3 Chips
Apple Updates 13- and 15-Inch MacBook Air With M3 Chips
Apple Makes the Vision Pro Store Demo an Entertaining Ride
Apple Makes the Vision Pro Store Demo an Entertaining Ride
Apple Sports Is the Next Step in Apple's Big Sports Plans
Apple Sports Is the Next Step in Apple's Big Sports Plans
Tech Shows
Latest News All latest news
PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know
PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know
Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference
Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference
Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro
Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro
Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference
Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference
Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?
Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?
The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low
The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low
Most Popular All most popular
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Latest Products All latest products
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone
This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone
Latest How To All how to videos
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro