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Sensors

March 27, 2017

Leveraging your Smartphone for “Man-Down” Detection Using Blueforce Tactical

by Michael Helfrich
in Emergency Notification, Hybrid Life Support, Occupational Safety, Recovery, Sensors, Situational Awareness

For years, firefighters have leveraged PASS devices (Personal Alert Safety System) which are also referred to as distress signal unit (DSU) when going into building fires or other dangerous IDLH environments The PASS device sounds a loud (95 decibel) audible alert to notify others in the area that the firefighter is in distress, usually triggered by a lack of motion by the firefighter for a...

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July 30, 2016

Tactical Dashboard Video: Seeing is Believing

by Michael Helfrich
in CBRN, Distributed Sensing, Fusion, IoT, K9, Sensors, Situational Awareness, Surveillance, Uncategorized, Wearables

It's a great thing when imagery can "say" everything that needs to be said.  It speaks for itself.  A dashboard video used during a USG training event is embedded below.  The Blueforce Command Center dashboard in the video shows members of a tactical team breaching a building with support from a K9 unit and shows the following: Real-time Incident Map: Top left, shows all team members,...

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OPS15 Dragon and Alpha Canis Training Event

by Michael Helfrich
in autonomous agents, BlueBeacon, CBRN, Distributed Sensing, Emergency Notification, Fusion, Intrinsically Safe, IoT, K9, Sensors, Situational Awareness, Surveillance, Uncategorized

Knowledge is power.  Successful tactical training is even better.  OPS15 and Alpha Canis will be hosting a 2-Day training event at their Southfield Training Facility and Blueforce will be there.  This dynamic training event will give participants from the public safety, military, and private sector an opportunity to share some ideas and knowledge on best practices from a diverse group of instructors relative to the...

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July 16, 2016

ugsONE: New Blueforce Tactical Plugin that Turns the Smartphone into an Unattended Ground Sensor

by Michael Helfrich
in autonomous agents, CBRN, Distributed Sensing, Fusion, HAZLOC, IoT, Sensors, Situational Awareness, Surveillance, Uncategorized

Here at Blueforce, we think back just ten years ago and the state of personal computing at the time. We were fresh out of Iraq and post-9/11 and simple gamecam capabilities could run a DoD unit upwards of $80,000 a sensor. Military and emergency management groups alike have long been keen for sensors that can be left behind if need be. Ones that are inexpensive...

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March 2, 2016

Blueforce Announces Support for Microsoft Band 2

by Michael Helfrich
in CBRN, Distributed Sensing, Emergency Notification, IoT, Occupational Safety, Sensors, Situational Awareness, Uncategorized, Wearables

Microsoft Band 2 is what one would expect from Microsoft.  It is not a single faceted device that merely sends steps or heartbeats.  It also has the ability to receive commands from third party applications via a well documented API, and of course, the Microsoft approach to "platform" shines through.  Blueforce committed very quickly to building for this platform.  The band can serve as a...

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February 16, 2016

Blueforce Development Corporation Endorses Kyocera’s Devices For Workers in Hazardous Locations and Jobs

by Michael Helfrich
in BlueBeacon, CBRN, Distributed Sensing, Emergency Notification, HAZLOC, K9, Lone Worker, Occupational Safety, Sensors, Situational Awareness, Uncategorized

By John Chier, Director, Corporate Communications, Kyocera   At Kyocera, we believe that not all rugged devices are created equal. Our DNA is rooted in creating mobile devices that offer a unique blend of toughness, performance and affordability, and we feel we have a leg up when it comes to providing field workers the best durable mobile solutions. A big part of our success in rugged...

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December 12, 2015

NYPD Transit Bureau Blazes the Path with Multi-Sensor Fusion using Blueforce with Working Dogs and Bomb Detection Teams

by Michael Helfrich
in autonomous agents, CBRN, Distributed Sensing, Fusion, K9, Sensors, Situational Awareness, Surveillance, Uncategorized, Wearables

The intelligence community has been warning for some time about “home made” explosive and chemical weapons, many of which can be fashioned from materials bought at Home Depot or the local pool supply store. Fast forward to Saturday March 14, 2015 when leaders in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq provided the Reuters news organization with soil and clothing samples taken by the peshmerga from...

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November 8, 2015

Shared Gesture-based Awareness and Command

by Michael Helfrich
in Distributed Sensing, IoT, Lone Worker, Occupational Safety, Sensors, Uncategorized, Wearables

Thalmic is developing a next generation armband for gesture detection that is full of motion and muscle sensors and can pickup on the “electrical activity in your muscles to wirelessly control” things via Bluetooth and applications like Blueforce Tactical. Blueforce sees great potential for this next generation of non-spoken command and control. While the applications for controlling other devices are endless, we think the opportunity...

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October 12, 2015

AUSA 2015 Washington: SCOTT Patriot 5510 and Blueforce Tactical on Display for Advanced CBRN Mitigation and Defeat

by Michael Helfrich
in CBRN, Distributed Sensing, Hybrid Life Support, Sensors, Situational Awareness, Uncategorized

Nothing is more frightening than asymmetric threats that involve the use of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) agents by non-nation state actors. Deployed tactical teams are increasingly being exposed to CBRN threats, including terrorist attacks with non-conventional means and where threats involve large quantities of toxic industrial chemicals, all posing severe hazards to deployed forces. A lack of warning and reaction time is a...

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September 25, 2015

CBRNE Sensing Platforms: Human, Animal, and Autonomous

by Michael Helfrich
in Distributed Sensing, Emergency Notification, Fusion, Hybrid Life Support, K9, Sensors, Situational Awareness, Surveillance, Uncategorized

Blueforce DC METRO Field Day is quickly approaching. No Powerpoint. No lectures. Just a day of "hands-on" with leading-edge emergency management, first responder, law enforcement, and counter-terrorism technologies. The event is sponsored by Blueforce Development, Tech Data, Sprint, and Mac Business Solutions. "Track 2" will feature “Sensing Platforms for WMD/CBRNE” and will demonstrate the latest in technology for mobile curtains of WMD sensing plus shared...

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