4/4/2013
One of the challenges in emergency building rescue operations, whether it is an earthquake, fire, building collapse, or other disaster, is quickly identifying the location and status of its victims. A group of University of Illinois engineering professors is developing a more effective way to do that through a mobile phone app called “I Rescue.”
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One of the challenges in emergency building rescue operations, whether it is an earthquake, fire, building collapse, or other disaster, is quickly identifying the location and status of its victims. A group of University of Illinois engineering professors is developing a more effective way to do that through a mobile phone app called “I Rescue.”
The technology uses the signal strength of various wireless access points throughout a building to the victim’s cell phone to help pinpoint the location. Those signals can also detect whether there is any movement around the phone to give rescuers an idea of the victim’s condition or, if they can move, guide them to the nearest exit.
“Most everyone carries a mobile phone,” noted Billie F. Spencer, the Nathan M. & Anne M. Newmark Endowed Chair in Civil Engineering and one of the collaborators of the project. “Our idea was to use those mobile phones, their sensors and their communication capabilities. If you know where those wireless access points are located, then based on the signal strength your mobile phone is receiving, the responders can triangulate your location.”
Other members of the project include Mark Nelson, a neuroscientist at the Beckman Institute and Gul Agha, a professor in computer science, as well as graduate students Hyunghul Yoon and Reza Shifteh Far.
Spencer noted that even in the loss of power, most routers have battery back-ups and even if part of the building is collapsed there are usually parts of the router hanging from the wall.
“The phone itself could also be used as a wireless router,” Spencer said.
Although the software is being developed for emergencies, the project also has attracted others who would benefit from the basic technology. The University of Illinois library, for instance, has interest in using it to help students find books by using their current location and the location of the book to help guide them. The same idea could be applied to consumers trying to find products in a store.
“It could allow you to have an ‘Amazon’-like experience by telling the user that the people who checked out that book also looked at these three books and, by the way, there is a study group working on a related project. In a store, it could be connected to a service to suggest other products, provide user comments or note a sale.”
The group has been using structures at the Illinois Fire Services Institute at the south end of campus for testing, but in looking for a more ideal location, approached Parkland College, whose series of buildings provides a challenge to locate a classroom.
Through a method called fingerprinting, they are recording the router signal strength at various locations on Parkland’s campus. Once that is completed, all that would be left to do is superimpose those signals on a map (a la Google Maps) to help students navigate their way around campus.
“We received funding because of the emergency response aspect for victim location and status assessment,” Spencer said. “We’re finding the applications are much wider.”
Spencer says the group hopes to conclude its research this summer and will write several publications on its findings. He has been in communication with the Office of Technology Transfer for patenting, licensing and commercialization support.
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CONTACT: Professor Billie F. Spencer (217) 333-8630
If you have any questions about the College of Engineering, or other story ideas, contact Mike Koon, editor, Engineering Communications Office, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 217/244-1256.