SSRR 2024: When Robots Save Lives - Learning from the Front Lines

At SSRR 2024, I had the opportunity to visit the FDNY academy on Randall's Island. The robotics team there showed us how they're integrating robots into their operations, testing new equipment, and training their teams. Seeing their practical approach to adopting new technology for emergency response operations gave me valuable insights for our research.

The conference brought together an interesting mix - researchers working on cutting-edge robotics, emergency response teams sharing field experiences, and program directors shaping future initiatives. Dr. Jean-Paul Chretien's presentation on the DARPA triage challenge showed how autonomous systems could help in mass casualty events, while Dr. Kruijff-Korbayova's work highlighted key factors in making these systems work effectively with human teams.

Through NSF I-Corps customer discovery interviews at the conference, we gathered specific feedback about how our HARMONIC technology could serve real operational needs. Working with our LEIA team at RPI, these insights will help guide our development of cognitive systems for emergency response. Based on our customer discovery findings, we are excited to take HARMONIC to the next level through the NSF I-Corps national program, where we'll further develop its commercial potential for emergency response and rescue operations.