PIT’s Fire Training Facility Serves as a Testing Ground for Life-Saving Technology

Pittsburgh International Airport’s Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) Training Facility attracts first responders from across the country to its state-of-the art center. But its most recent trainees were state-of-the art themselves.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University brought the latest technology to the fire training center to test it in a realistic crisis scenario. The technology includes two autonomous robots and a drone, which can identify human injuries from up to 10 meters away, notifying first responders about victims who need immediate triage.

First, the team deploys a drone that surveys the crisis scene from above to map the damage. Then, ground robots are deployed to check victims’ vital signs. The results are transmitted to doctors and first responders, who track the robots via video.

“The goal is to have an autonomous swarm of ground air robots that would be selected based on the context of the environment they need to go into,” said Dr. Kimberly Elenberg, principal scientist at CMU and programmatic lead on the project.

Community collaboration feeds innovation

Pitt and CMU have partnered to form Team Chiron, which is focused on developing the autonomous robotic systems. The team will compete in the Department of Defense triage challenge, which encourages the development of technologies for medical triage.

For Elenberg and Team Chiron, collaboration is essential for the project’s success. Just as the robots and drones themselves need to work together effectively, the partnerships among local universities, medical facilities and the airport further progress in the region.

“I think the ability to have all the cross disciplines in one area and in a community that is very forward thinking and not risk adverse is incredibly important because we don’t know the answers,” said Elenberg. “If we knew the answers to this, it would have been done a long time ago. And so having that community that’s willing to take risks and do it together collaboratively is very important.”

In the coming year, Team Chiron will use data collected from the testing, including the most recent test at PIT, to develop a fully autonomous system.

Testing in a real-world environment

PIT is no stranger to testing technology and robotics on its campus. The airport’s xBridge innovation hub evaluates new technologies, processes and systems for the global aviation industry, aiming to improve the experience for passengers and airport partners. xBridge frequently collaborates with local startups to help them test their products at the airport, a real-world environment that encompasses various industries.

For Team Chiron, the airport presents an ideal testing environment.

“The airport provides us an environment that could be very real. And while things can occur naturally, accidents also happen,” Elenberg said. Testing the robots in a real C-130 “allows us to have an environment” to put the robot through a challenging real-world scenario.

In just a few months, PIT will have even more opportunities to cement its role in the innovation ecosystem.

For the third year in a row, the World Innovation Summit, previously known as the Aviation & Robotics Summit, will be held in Pittsburgh and at the airport. Hosted by PIT and Future Travel Experience—an organization leading change in the industry—the summit gathers participants to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in the industry through technology, robotics and AI.