Providing safe, reliable and efficient first-aid services in emergency settings. This is the main goal of the new technology developed by IT in Porto, in collaboration with INESC-TEC, IEETA, Biodevices and the Robotics Institute from Carneggie Mellon University. VR2Market is the name of the project that, through a “wearable” technology, allows measuring the vital signs of first responders during an event, focusing on firefighters, providing the command chain with the necessary data to better manage their teams. Environmental and air quality parameters can also be collected and used as additional input on fire propagation models.

The project involved a multidisciplinary team, dedicated not only to the development of sensor technology capable of detecting the levels of stress and fatigue of firefighters, but also to the development of ICT infrastructures for the collection and management of information.

Once tested in forest fires, oil industry and air traffic control, the technology is now in the business study phase, with the team working to identify potential markets where it can be applied.