FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – A Fresno State Associate Professor has patented a device that will help make search and rescue missions for firefighters easier.
The new A.I.-based device will be able to help firefighters see humans and animals through heavy smoke.
“The firefighters… they go through so much. And I said, why don’t I just simplify and make their life a little bit easier,” Dr. Hovannes Kulhandjian, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering said.
The device that started with three students working on a senior design project will someday have real-time ability to detect humans and animals through thick smoke.
Dr. Kulhandjian says he helped create the technology in part because he wanted to put Fresno State’s resources and A.I. technology to good use.
“My main goal was to first help out the firefighters and help save lives because every second matters the quicker you identify those humans or animals,” Dr. Kulhandjian said.
The device is made up of several sensors, including an infrared camera that can see through smoke and radar.