A dedicated smartwatch is being developed to ease the burden on disaster-scene responders—including police officers, firefighters, and local government officials—who must carry several communication devices at once. The Ministry of Science and ICT (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bae Kyung-hoon) and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (Minister Yoon Ho-jung) announced that they are pursuing the project ‘Development of a Smartwatch Linked to the National Disaster Safety Communications Network and an AI Radio-Summary and Alert System’ under the National Living-Safety Emergency Response Research program.
 [코리안투데이] Conceptual diagram of the smartwatch linked to the National Disaster Safety Communications Network © 장형임 기자 |
The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety are pursuing research and development for a dedicated disaster-safety-communications-network smartwatch as a new task under the National Living-Safety Emergency Response Research program.
The National Living-Safety Emergency Response Research program aims to use science and technology to swiftly resolve disaster and safety problems directly tied to citizens’ everyday lives, and to apply the results in the field so that problems are solved and their recurrence prevented at the same time. To identify pressing issues grounded in the voices of the field, the two ministries surveyed research needs among central government agencies and local governments last month, and, after review by experts in the relevant fields, made this single task the final selection.
This task is the last to be selected among a total of 11 tasks pursued this year. The 10 previously selected tasks span living safety as a whole, including technologies for responding to wildfires, ground subsidence, marine accidents, heavy snowfall, and flooding.
At present, personnel carrying out response missions at disaster scenes—such as police officers, firefighters, and local government officials—bear the burden of simultaneously carrying and operating disaster-safety-communications-network terminals, radios, and personal mobile phones. In particular, when a large-scale situation arises, communications surge and overlap, making it difficult to clearly grasp key information or instructions.
This task focuses on solving such field difficulties through technology. It calls for developing a smartwatch that links with the disaster-safety communications network and building a system in which artificial intelligence (AI) analyzes and summarizes communications to deliver key information to users. It also includes functions to monitor the wearer’s heart rate, skin temperature, and location.
Once applied in the field, the technology is expected to reduce responders’ equipment-carrying burden while helping them clearly recognize real-time situations and missions, thereby contributing to the prevention of large-scale casualties and property damage. Because the safety and judgment of field personnel translate directly into residents’ safety, the project carries significance in strengthening safety infrastructure that citizens can tangibly feel.
The open call for research institutions to carry out the new task will run from Friday, August 7, to Monday, September 7. The selected institution will receive research and development funding of around 900 million won over two years from the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Details such as the selection procedure and evaluation methods can be found on the websites of the Ministry of Science and ICT (msit.go.kr), the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (mois.go.kr), and the National Research Foundation of Korea (nrf.re.kr).
Kim Sung-soo, Director General for R&D Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, ‘By applying artificial intelligence and wearable device technology to the field of disaster safety, we will build safety infrastructure that can be felt on the ground.’
Park Hyung-bae, Director General for Safety Prevention Policy at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, ‘Above all, it is crucial that disaster-scene response personnel be freed from the burden of carrying equipment and be able to recognize situations quickly and accurately,’ adding, ‘We will actively support the smartwatch to be developed through this research task so that it can establish itself as equipment that strengthens the government’s disaster-response capabilities.’
지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화
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