This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project addresses the critical problems of tracking and monitoring firefighters or other first responders inside structures. Whereas many available systems such as GPS fail indoors or require an overwhelming number of access points to obtain accurate information, our system requires only a base station that can be quickly set up at a command post outside (or inside) a building and small devices worn by the responders. Our system sets up a mesh network to communicate data amongst responders, as well as between the responders and the command post base station(s). The mesh network extends the range of the base station by allowing data to be relayed through another team member if a responder goes out of range. Our prototype system has been demonstrated to provide accurate tracking and location of personnel performing simple motions in complex structures from a base station outside of the structure. This project will focus on improving tracking algorithms such that complex motions can be recognized and accurately tracked. The expected outcome of the project is a much improved interface between the typical command center and the first responders.
The initial market impacted by this project development is firefighter location and monitoring. Firefighting is one of the most dangerous jobs in the US. An average of 95 firefighters have been lost every year over the past decade. Some of these deaths could have been prevented if only the firefighter's distressed condition and exact position were known. No commercial technology currently exists that pinpoints the location of a downed firefighter. Critical time can be wasted before a downed firefighter is even first detected. Subsequently, critical resources are often diverted in frantic searches in hazardous conditions and extremely poor visibility. The seconds saved by knowledge of firefighter alarms and their positions could mean the difference between minor and severe injuries or death.
Intellectual Merit People have become dependent on GPS for navigation outdoors but GPS does not work indoors and is often very poor even near isolated buildings. TRX Systems has developed an affordable solution to the problem of accurately tracking personnel indoors (and in other GPS denied areas) without reliance upon infrastructure. The TRX solution has the promise to improve safety for dismounted soldiers, police, firefighters, miners, and other security personnel that face danger every day. NSF’s Science Nation did a special report that highlights TRX’s sensor fusion and map creation applied for Firefighter indoor location. Inertial tracking techniques have been used for decades by the DOD, NASA and others for delivery of sophisticated navigation in environments without access to GPS. These systems have relied on very high quality mechanical, fiber optic, or laser sensors with size, weight, power and cost beyond the range of what is acceptable for body worn sensor applications. Recently, MEMS inertial sensors have become available introducing small size, low weight, low power and low cost sensors that are making their way into standard consumer electronics; however, MEMS sensors are subject to larger inertial drift which can lead to large position errors in a matter of a few seconds when the standard tracking techniques are used. A fundamentally different approach to position estimation was needed. TRX has developed and has multiple patents pending for a variety of high level algorithms that are designed to constrain or eliminate errors in body worn sensor systems. The algorithms fuse input from multiple sensors, signals of opportunity (such as Wi-Fi) and available GIS data to provide accurate position and tracking. Also unique is the TRX system’s ability to generate building maps (hallways, stairs, elevator locations) by inferring building structure from user motion histories, GIS information, and building construction. Broader Impacts Since our SBIR award, TRX has commercially released its Tracking System for indoor location applications and is integrating with partners to increase its sales reach and deliver total solutions to the customer. The TRX tracking system includes: Tracking Units that compute location, movement (or non-movement) status. Tracking units commutate location information over Bluetooth to a digital radio or cell phone, and deliver location to a cell phone application. Command Station Software with intuitive 2D and 3D visualization that enables monitoring of location, status, and alarms. Handheld Android 2D and 3D interface that shows the user’s own location – indoors and in GPS-denied areas – and allows sharing of data between tracked subjects. TRX has steadily grown our business with revenue increasing by a factor of 10 and full time employment by a factor of 15 as of 2011. The company has sold the TRX tracking system domestically and internationally. And TRX is continually innovating. We maintained ties to local universities to keep abreast of the latest cutting edge research. We work closely faculty and support undergraduate and graduate students to obtain research and development work experience in an entrepreneurial startup. TRX’s contributions to technology innovation and our community have been widely recognized. In 2008, TRX was selected as Homeland Security Incubator Company of the Year in the State of Maryland. TRX was also awarded the Global Security Challenge Grand Prize of $500,000 to help complete and commercialize its SBIR developments. More recently TRX was recognized as one of the Gazette Politics and Business Exceptional 53 Maryland companies in 2011. TRX was recognized in the top 3 of 55 young companies in the Distilled Intelligence 1.0 forum and was named one of the "Hottest Techs in Town" by the Greater Baltimore Technology Council.
