tecnalia – SIXTHSENSE

March 16, 2023April 25, 2023

SIXTHSENSE beta field trials in mountain rescue scenario

7th to 10th of March 2023, Kopaonik, Serbia

After addressing key issues in the Beta prototype identified during the Postojna field trials, the system was once more deployed in the realistic conditions of first responder operations.

The consortium gathered at the Kopaonik mountain, hosted by the Serbian Mountain Rescuers (SMR), to test the system in the conditions of winter rescue scenario.

Over 40 researchers, developers and practitioners from 10 different organizations came to the event. In total 17 first responders from Mountain Rescue Service of Serbia the Association of Mountain Rescue Organizations of B&H took part in the tests which were performed in 4 sessions.

Similarly to the tests performed with the firefighters, the activity was organized in a circuit with 4 exercises relevant to the mountain rescuers:

1:Vertical rope climb

2: Uphill march

3. Avalanche victim excavation

4. Ski lift evacuation

The SIXTHSENSE Beta prototype in the full communication chain was tested with 6 electrotactile messages adapted to the requirements of the mountain rescue first responders.

For the very first time the SIXTHSENSE electrotactile communication system was fully functional in the harsh conditions of the field trials.

Over 400 individual messages were received by the first responders over the course of the trials.

After only minutes of training to use the electrotactile communication system and in spite of highly intensive physical activities, the overall message recognition success rate was over 70%, with some subjects having over 90% scores.

In addition to testing the electrotactile communications and gathering the physiological data during these activities, the cognitive load and effects of fatigue on the decision making process were assessed in tests designed and administered by the researchers from JRD.

Finally, the first version of a SIXTHSENSE garment developed based on the GAMMA specifications was presented to the consortium members and tested with the first responders to gather their impressions and suggestions.

January 25, 2023April 25, 2023

Beta stage SIXTHSENS project video

December 12, 2022April 25, 2023

SIXTHSENSE stakeholder workshop at NRT2022

November 15th – 16th 2022, Larnaca, Cyprus

Beta stakeholder meeting took place on the first day of the Nikosia Risk Forum 2022 in the main lecture hall.

The aim of the workshop was to disseminate and publicize the project and the knowledge progress achieved, and the technological improvements incorporated into system prototypes.

The workshop agenda had been structured in the following sections:

o 15:00 – 15:30: Project presentation (project concept, methodology, technologies and field trials).

o 15:30 – 16:00: Demonstration of Beta prototype. The vest prototype was shown and demonstration videos were played to show how the prototype functions in real scenarios. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXVEvi_QHcQ).

o 16:00 – 16:30: Project exploitation plan and business model.

o 16:30 – 17:00: Open discussion & Survey.

The Project had a booth in the main hall of the venue throughout the congress. System prototypes and materials with project information were displayed here allow the visitors to have a closer look at the technology, discuss the project with the consortium representatives and get more engaged.

This enabled dissemination of the project results to more potential stakeholders that might not have attended to the special event.

Due to the importance of the forum, various media attended to cover the congress and the SIXTHSENSE coordinator was interviewed by Euronews as it can be seen at 7:54 min of the news.

November 14, 2022April 25, 2023

Field Trials in fire fighting scenario – Postojna, Slovenia

From 7th to 9th November of 2022 the SIXTHSENSE consortium gathered in the impressive facilities of the Postojna firefighters to test the Beta prototype in the field. Over 50 practitioners, technology developers and researchers took part in the three day event.

The consortium took the opportunity of a physical meetup to arrange a number of co-development sessions between the practitioners and the technology developers. Most of the WPs were addressed, discussing open questions and presenting potential solutions to the experienced fire fighters to gain their perspective on the potential issues.

Fifteen firefighters took part in the full testing protocol going over an exercise circuit designed by the experts from ULE to produce high physiological strain in a controlled manner.

In addition to gathering the physiological data during these activities, the cognitive load and effects of fatigue on the decision making process were assessed in tests designed and administered by the researchers from JRD.

The SIXTHSENSE Beta prototype with the full communication chain was tested for the first time in the relevant conditions.

It has 5 distinct communication links, as shown in the figure below:

1. Exchange between the command center dashboard and the online data warehouse

2. Exchange between the online data warehouse and the mobile device (MOTOTRBO Ion)

3. Exchange between the mobile device and the team leader’s BACQ (BLE connection)

4. Exchange between the team leader’s BACQ and each team member’s BACQ (proprietary radio)

5. Exchange between the BACQ and BetaStim of one first responder (BLE)

The communication loop was completed with the SIXTHSENSE electrotactile messaging, designed for the fire fighters. Six different messages were implemented based on earlier research results and requirements gathered in the WP7 co-development sessions.

While the electrotactile communication was tested with firefighters in Rijeka, and with mountain rescuers in Belgrade and Kopaonik, this was the first time that it was tested while they were performing functional tasks and withing the full communication chain.

Illustration of the six dynamic stimulation patterns. Numbers signify the activation order.
Pads with the same number are activated at the same time. Red-colored pads are activated with a high frequency and green with a low.

May 4, 2022May 4, 2022

Pilot testing of Beta prototype for electrotactile stimulation in relevant conditions for mountain rescue scenarios of interest

From March 24th until March 28th the pilot testing of Beta prototype for electrotactile stimulation was tested in Kopaonik, the biggest mountain resort in Serbia.

The aim was to test the electrotactile communication protocols defined in D7.8 with the Beta prototype electrode defined in D7.6 in relevant winter conditions.

Ten participants took part in the endeavour which comprised skiing in crowded tracks and uphill walking during the day and at night.

The results clearly indicate that the approach is feasible and does not pose a significant distraction in performing these activities.

May 4, 2022May 4, 2022

Alpha prototype field trials in relevant conditions for mountain rescue scenarios of interest

Between 8th and 11th of March Alpha prototype was successfully tested in mountain conditions in Bormio, Italy. Nine partners gathered to take part in the field trials, including researchers from seven technological partners, Mountain Rescue Service of Serbia and Association of Mountain Rescue Organizations of B&H.

December 15, 2021May 4, 2022

A foreign mission and a SIXTHSENSE use-case scenario

While some of us were spending our vacation during hot August days enjoying the sea view, in the late night of August 4th to August 5th a foreign KHD mission in Northern Macedonia was alerted, and a team of Lower Austrian Forest Fire specialists and other comrades (including members of FF Gumpoldskirchen and ELFR, as well as additional teams from Slovenia and Bulgaria) was assembled.

While the response team drove for nearly 1500 km, the necessary equipment and logistics followed along by train. After 30 hours of strenuous travelling, it was time to put the response team under even more strain in the area where almost 3000 hectares of forest and meadows was in flames or burned down, due to a long period of drought (40-45˚C). Whole villages were threatened by the fire.

During 10 days of the deployment, Austrian firefighters had to work through a wide spectrum of scenarios, many of which provide valuable insight into the use-cases that are covered by the SIXTHSENSE project. Despite the constantly changing conditions and difficult challenges they’ve faced, the first responders managed to subdue the fire and prevent it from spreading further. This mission’s response team should be applauded – as it was while passing through North Macedonia and Serbia, on its way home.

https://fb.watch/888Jl4lMbI/ (Mission video on Facebook)

Imagine that the mission time was cut down in half… Or better yet, that fewer first responders had to suffer the strain caused by these kinds of missions? It could be done with increased first responder efficiency, by allowing them to communicate better– even when a team member is flown by the helicopter to remote areas. Increased awareness of their physical state could help first responders react in time if some of them are in danger, and make sure their mission time is efficiently used, therefore decreasing the need for additional deployment of their colleagues, and them, as well.

The work done during the North Macedonican mission is outstanding. In the midst of raging fires like these, one thing is clear – we need to take care of first responders. SIXTHSENSE has a purpose to do just that – it aims to improve overall communication, their awareness, and keep them safe. If this is not a call to action and an opportunity to put SIXTHSENSE to good use, what is

September 15, 2021September 17, 2021

Alpha prototype overview

In the next video, you can see the overview of the phases that the alpha prototype passed through – choosing optimal placement of the electrode, as well as the electrode design, defining initial electrotactile coding schemes, technical validation of the system, testing the system on human subjects, obtaining end-user feedback and last, but not least, deploying the system in a relevant environment, on Kopaonik mountain at an event hosted by Serbian Mountain Rescue service, on which you can read more about here.

Enjoy!

September 3, 2021September 3, 2021

Alpha prototype field trials

End of June 2021 marked a major milestone in the SIXTHSENSE project. The alpha prototypes were tested in the field trials with several first responder groups in the Šapjane training centre of the Primorje and Gorski Kotar Fire Department.

The consortium took full advantage of having first responders from three fire brigades and one mountain rescue service available and simultaneously ran multiple testing stations.

The firemen from Rijeka Fire brigade – Croatia (PGZ), Postojna fire brigade – Slovenia (GDP) and Gumpoldskirchen fire brigade – Austria (FFG) “competed” in a four-station testing circuit designed to simulate real conditions of wildland firefighting, under the scorching Rijeka Sun, at around 35^oC.

They were equipped with both SIXTHSENSE Alpha prototype sensing devices, as well as the state-of-the-art systems for benchmarking, and performed intensive exercises to reach high level of physiological strain. Collected data was wirelessly transmitted to the base station located in the near-by command centre and then stored to the SIXTHSENSE online data warehouse.

These tests were managed by experts from ULE, with technical support from partners that developed the sensing (TECSR) and recording (GES) systems. In between these sessions, the firefighters did extensive psychological testing, administered by JR to determine the cognitive load and correlation between fatigue and first responders’ decision making capabilities.

In parallel, researchers from TECSR performed a psychometric study investigating different message coding modalities for communication of mission critical information through electrotactile feedback. MRB took part in these tests alongside the firefighters.

Between these tests and the pilot with SMR in Kopaonik, all SIXTHSENSE first responders have experienced the electrotactile stimulation and provided their valuable feedback.

As the tests were progressing and the data streamed to the offices, multiple technical meetings were held between the technology provider partners. Notably, partners from WP7 took advantage of being together with multiple commanding officers from different organisations to hold a co-development workshop on the command centre dashboard, being developed by TG.

Coordinator (TEC) organised a series of bilateral meetings discussing the possible avenues for pursuing the project to policy ambitions of the SIXTHSENSE consortium. The information gathered greatly clarified the potential of each partner and will allow creating a realistic roadmap for future implementation of project results

Due to the strange circumstances under which the project started this was the first in-person meeting between a larger number of partners. While the tests conducted are very important and will greatly benefit the technical advancement within the project, the shared experiences are invaluable.

We may need to wait for scientific results of the tests, as data processing and analysis will take time and effort. However, one outcome was immediately evident, the Rijeka fire brigade passed the test of hospitality with flying colours. Part of the great atmosphere can be seen by following this link to GDP’s website gallery.

Between the expertise of the firefighting instructors and the excellent facilities of the Šapjane training centre, it is clear that there is a huge potential for co-development of first responder technologies both within and beyond the scope of the SIXTHSENSE project.

June 23, 2021June 23, 2021

Testando el estrés termo-fisiológico del modelo Alpha

Uno de los principales objetivos del WP6 del proyecto SIXTHSENSE es establecer un modelo predictivo para evaluar el estrés al que se ven sometidos los integrantes de los cuerpos de emergencia durante sus despliegues. Durante el primer año del proyecto SIXTHSENSE se ha creado un modelo preliminar teniendo en cuenta las principales variables fisiológicas integradas en el prototipo Alpha diseñado. El modelo propuesto durante los primeros meses de vida del proyecto ha sido valorado a través de diferentes pruebas piloto realizadas en el laboratorio de Valoración de la Condición Física de la Universidad de León, España (ULE), en colaboración con el grupo de investigación Joanneum Research, Austria.

El principal objetivo de las pruebas realizadas fue determinar el comportamiento del modelo propuesto a lo largo de las pruebas que simulaban la intensidad de trabajo a las que se ven sometidos los cuerpos de emergencia. El grupo de investigación VALFIS (UIC 314) de la Universidad de León fue el encargado de realizar estas pruebas piloto, como miembro del consorcio del proyecto, gracias a su experiencia previa en trabajos con los cuerpos de emergencia y en la evaluación del rendimiento físico y la salud.

Las pruebas se realizaron en condiciones ambientales controladas (i.e., humedad y temperatura) y los participantes llevaron su equipo de protección personal, el cual pesa aproximadamente 6 kg e incrementa su estrés térmico. Durante el transcurso del test los sujetos fueron sometidos a diferentes intensidades de ejercicio y se analizaron diferentes niveles de estrés. Además, durante el desarrollo de las pruebas se aplicaron diferentes pruebas psicológicas y cognitivas diseñadas por el Joanneum Research.

En conjunto, estas pruebas iniciales fueron el paso inicial para pulir el diseño experimental que se llevará a cabo para valorar de manera conjunta los aspectos psicológicos y fisiológicos durante el proyecto SIXTHSENSE.

A pesar del reto que ha supuesto la pandemia producida por la COVID-19, las pruebas se pudieron realizar siguiendo un estricto protocolo de seguridad. Todos los sujetos fueron sometidos a un test PCR el día anterior a su participación en las pruebas. En consecuencia, los resultados obtenidos han servido para seguir avanzando en el modelado del estrés psicológico y fisiológico que se implementará en el prototipo Alpha que será probado en unas pruebas de campo con bomberos forestales a finales del mes de junio en la localidad Croatia de Rijeka.