"This Technology Should Have Been Here Sooner"... Turning Firefighters into 'Supermen' [Reading Science]

National Science and Technology Council (NST) Introduces Disaster Response Science and Technology Developed by Government-Funded Research Institutes

A special-purpose disaster response machine that firefighters can use at various rescue sites. It can be used like a small excavator, capable of removing 200kg obstacles and breaking cement.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] "I wish this technology had come out sooner..." Recently, record-breaking heavy rains centered around the Seoul metropolitan area caused significant damage. In particular, the tragic incident in Sillim-dong, Seoul, where three family members were trapped in a semi-basement after flooding began and called for rescue for several hours but received no help, resulting in all of them dying, deeply saddened and shocked the public. Natural disasters such as typhoons and floods, as well as various disasters like collapses and fires, are increasingly causing casualties. Accordingly, scientific technologies are being developed to predict various disasters that threaten people's survival, secure the golden time, and safely and swiftly restore the damage sites.

◇ Turning Firefighters into Supermen

There is equipment that enables firefighters deployed to disaster sites such as building collapses or fires to exert tremendous power like a small excavator. This is the 'Disaster Response Special Purpose Machine' developed in 2021 by the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology. This equipment has a pair of 6-meter-long working arms acting as human arms mounted on four continuous track lower modules. A firefighter riding this equipment becomes a 'Superman.' Using the working arms, they can remove obstacles weighing up to 200kg, cut 22mm thick rebar, break cement, and pierce special plywood. It plays a significant role in quickly rescuing lives at fire and collapse sites. This equipment completed field tests tailored to various disaster response scenarios by the end of last year and is planned to be deployed in construction and industrial sites, large-scale agricultural fields, and defense sites.

Employees of the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute are developing and testing disaster site human detection sensors.

◇ Life Rescue in Pitch-Black Darkness

For rescue workers deployed to indoor disasters such as fires, explosions, and collapses, the biggest obstacle is the inability to see due to darkness, smoke, and dust. It is impossible to locate unconscious buried victims due to injuries. There are frequent cases where rescuers lose their lives from suffocation caused by flames and smoke. In response, in February, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute of Korea developed equipment that can detect victims' vital signs by being worn on firefighters' helmets or carried like a mobile phone. By utilizing the permeability of radio waves, it can identify the situation behind obstacles and the presence of victims, enabling rapid and accurate life rescue. In particular, it uses Impulse Radio Ultra-Wideband (IR-UWB) radar sensors to detect even subtle movements of buried victims and high-precision Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar sensor technology to detect people who are motionless but breathing.

◇ Preventing Flooding by Predicting Rainfall with AI

As unexpected heavy rains become more frequent, technologies to predict and prepare for them are becoming increasingly important. The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology developed the 'ConvLSTM2D' U-Net neural network model that predicts the frequency and intensity of rainfall and the possibility of flooding using AI-based deep learning technology. This model considers data continuity in addition to the U-Net CNN algorithm. It enhances resolution through convolution operations and captures spatiotemporal correlations. If more accurate flood predictions become possible through artificial neural network techniques, rapid preparation can reduce human and material damage.

◇ Emergency Bell Rings Within 10 Seconds of Fire

In the case of fires, how quickly the detector activates and firefighting begins determines the extent of damage. If the detector works quickly, countless lives and properties can be saved from the flames. However, existing fire alarms frequently malfunction and can only detect fires after one minute of ignition, making significant damage inevitable. In response, the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) developed an intelligent fire detector last June that distinguishes between human-used flames such as gas stoves or lighters and actual fires, alerting within 10 seconds of ignition. Using fusion sensing technology combining infrared sensors and infrared thermal imaging sensors, it detects specific carbon dioxide wavelength bands of flames, enabling rapid fire alarms. Automatic local extinguishing is possible through thermal imaging coordinates, and the false alarm rate is within 3% (compared to the previous 34-50%), greatly improving reliability.