The INTREPID project work plan involves practitioners throughout the project using an iterative, user-centered methodology that evaluates the system regularly. Several pilots are organized using different scenarios (including natural disasters, industrial disasters, and malicious attacks in public spaces) to test the technology.
INTREPID has a work plan that involves end-users, from diverse backgrounds, and cultures and with different expertise, during all phases of the project to identify their needs and consideration constraints based on the evaluation of intermediate results, and their understanding of the possibilities and limitations of the technology. This is done as follows:
- Iteratively revise the requirements and technical deliverables based on the results of the intermediate assessment.
- Opens the project to end-users and advisory board and stakeholders outside the project.
- Employs innovation management techniques, including co-creation sessions, to bridge cultural differences and organize productive interaction between early stakeholders and researchers.
- Implements a SCRUM methodology for science and technology application.
- SCRUM is a framework for developing, delivering, and maintaining products in a complex environment, with an initial emphasis on software development, although it has been used in other fields, such as other research projects, sales, marketing, and advanced technologies. The next Figure 3 gives an overview of the SCRUM procedure.
The iterative user-centered methodology it proposes allows it to constantly consider and address end-user needs during system design and development to ensure optimal customization and maximize the chances of adoption of project results by professional users.
The INTREPID consortium pays due attention to the acceptability of the proposed solution by citizens and has dedicated a partner, a European expert in the field (VUB), to this end, considering social, ethical, and legal issues. So, another main task of the INTREPID project has been to identify and define the ethical and legal risks posed by the project activities and their outcomes and propose appropriate mitigation measures where necessary.
INTREPID combines the concept of Intelligence Amplification, Artificial Intelligence technologies, Extended Reality, as well as automated UXVs, innovative telecommunication, and positioning capabilities, to improve the rapid exploration and assessment of affected areas, determine the location of victims and threats and support the rescue operation, as well as the neutralization of dangerous sources, even in areas of difficult or dangerous access.
Paper prototyping and wireframing methods are used to stimulate discussion and involve the end-user in the design process.
Through a tailored impact assessment, INTREPID identifies and evaluates the potential impact of the system on European societal values and relevant legal and ethical requirements, with particular attention to safeguarding personal data and privacy.
-INTREPID Mobile System (INMOS) provides the command chain as well as first responders with improved situational awareness and operation management capabilities. It is the core system, based on Crimson technology that runs on ruggedized laptops, tablets, and smartphones, anywhere in the field or at a C2 Center.
-Digital Model Module: This central module of the INMOS stores all known information about the environment and situation, an out-of-core architecture available in CS's VirtualGeo toolkit 13 that is used to implement this module.
-Extended Reality (XR) is the emerging concept that represents a working environment composed of a continuum of virtual, augmented, mixed, and real worlds. It is a novel approach that is implemented by this module to support visualization and interaction between devices with the Digital Mockup in 3D, Virtual, and Augmented Reality, using the HoloLens among others.
-Intelligence amplification module: This other module amplifies the collective intelligence of first responders to optimize the exploration of a site and the assessment of a situation involving multiple responders using multiple gas sensors and cyber helpers, the unmanned aerial and ground vehicles.
-Symbiotic operations control module: This last module integrates tools and algorithms to enable intelligent control and collaboration between cyber assistants.
The results of all these technologies tools proceed from the iteratively revised requirements and technical results from intermediate evaluations. These evaluations are provided firstly by INTREPID stakeholders and by external reviewers, both advisory board and external evaluators from the European Commission.
Three piloting and testing exercises have being conducted for this testing and evaluation:
- STOCKHOLM (SWEDEN): Subway flooding developed in November 2021.
- MARSEILLE (FRANCE): Explosion in an industrial estate organized for October 2022.
- MADRID (SPAIN): Hospital explosion. An intermediate pilot was carried out last March, the Pilot 2.5. The Los Molinos sanatorium has been used as the third pilot site. A man-made incident in a public building was simulated.
There was drilled a large explosion causing structural damage in a hospital with a chemical risk zone in the laboratory area. Because of this, it produced an explosion and debris. The information arrived, that there are several unconscious people in the building, which made us suspect that there may still be a possibility of chemical risks. Police fear it may be an intentional incident and use INTREPID to safely inspect the building for possible threats, while medical teams, firefighters, and canine guides use INTREPID cyber-assistants to make a first assessment of the location and condition of victims without entering the building.
SUMMA112 activated the Mass Casualty Incident procedure with an initial 2nd Level of PlatercaM (Madrid Region Emergency Plan), due to the risk associated with chemical substances and the explosion.
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Information that has been received on the INMOS platform from the cyber-assistants, and shared with all the first responders in the 3 pilots carried out so far:
* Risk detection/assessment following the explosion in the storage area of these substances inside the Navacerrada Hospital.
*Visual information from Robots (UGV), scanning the building for the detection of victims and ruling out the presence of possible aggressors.
* UGVs provide a breakthrough by equipping the platform with four folding robotic legs on wheels, which allow climbing stairs and overcoming obstacles, and an articulated arm with a highly sensitive 3-finger gripper adapted to open doors, turn lights on and off, control elevators and place monitoring sensors on detected victims, along with a two-way audio/microphone and video technology that allows the cyber-assistant to develop a START first triage without putting the first responder at risk (see Figure 4 ).
* START (Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment) is a method for triaging victims/wounded in accidents and/or disasters with multiple victims. The objective is to assess multiple victims in less than 60 seconds. It is a simple, fast and highly sensitive method for the detection of serious injuries14.
*Drone mapping with sensors that will provide information on risks and possible damage to the building and location of victims.
*Safe entrances and exits, and safer access to the building, as well as access to victims, where sensors do not indicate the danger of chemicals in the environment or danger of deflagration, detecting risks helping to maintenance the emergency professionals health and security
* Areas of the building most likely to be exposed to a toxic cloud due to the storage of chemicals. The UAV will autonomously scan and generate 3D maps on the ground.
The INTREPID (INMOS) system had suggested the quickest and safest access routes.
Both UAVs were designed to absorb heavy impacts, evolve in populated areas and avoid injuries in case of a crash thanks to their foam frames. Their innovative payload plate was modular to allow for quick plug-and-play of sensors.
* Detection/assessment of the risk after the explosion in the storage area of these substances within the Navacerrada Hospital.
*Visual information from Robots, scanning the building for victim detection and discarding the presence of potential aggressors ;
* Mapping with drones with sensors that will give information on risks and possible damage to the building and location of victims.
*Viable entrances and exits, and safer access to the building, as well as to access the victims, in which the sensors do not mark danger of chemical substances in the environment or danger of deflagration. -
* Areas of the building, with a higher probability of exposition of a toxic cloud, due to the storage of chemical substances. The UAV will be to scan autonomously and generate 3D maps on the ground.
Both the fastest and most secure access routes had been suggested by the INTREPID system (INMOS).
Both unmanned aerial vehicles were designed to absorb heavy impacts, evolve in populated areas, and avoid injuries in the event of a crash thanks to their foam frames. Its innovative payload board was modular to allow for fast plug-and-play of sensors.