{"id":18268,"date":"2020-09-03T14:50:54","date_gmt":"2020-09-03T14:50:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=18268"},"modified":"2023-06-08T18:26:25","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T18:26:25","slug":"virtual-fire-engine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2020\/09\/03\/virtual-fire-engine","title":{"rendered":"Firefighters can train in VR, save water"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Seattle
Seattle Fire Department<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Douglas Esser
\nA virtual reality (VR) program developed by two Computer Science & Software Engineering majors might be used to train firefighters to run the pump control panel on a fire engine, saving time, expense and water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isaiah Snow said the idea for a simulation occurred to him because his father is a Seattle firefighter. When Isaiah first told him about his virtual reality work, Craig Snow said he thought it was a game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen he explained what could be done with it, I thought it would make a very handy training tool for the fire department,\u201d said Craig Snow, who has been a firefighter for 21 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The VR program started to take form this summer as a capstone project<\/a> for Isaiah Snow, who graduates after autumn quarter, and Kellan Blake, who graduated after summer quarter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelvin Sung, a professor in the Computing and Software Systems division of the School of STEM<\/a>, supervised the project. He also taught the 3D computer graphic and computer game design courses where Snow and Blake learned the concepts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore that class,\u201d Blake said, \u201cI never made a project on this scale with all these 3D objects interacting with each other in different ways.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The view from VR <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Control
Control panel in virtual reality.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the fire engine simulation, the VR control panel does look a little like part of a game. Wearing a headset, the user controls a hand hovering over the panel. Push a button and hear the engine noise. Pull a lever or rotate a knob to control the water flow. Balance pressures and supply multiple fire hoses. Watch for warnings. An alert pops up on a screen: RPM is too high!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The system uses a Vive headset and Steam Valve Index controllers, which match individual finger motions. \u201cWhen I want to pick something up, I just grab it,\u201d Isaiah Snow said. \u201cIt\u2019s easy for people to understand how those work.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Craig Snow works on a ladder truck, which does not have a pump, but he was the primary tester at home for the VR program. \u201cI knew it would be interactive and interesting and fun to use, but the level of realism kind of blew me away,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much more prepared <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Fire
Fire hoses in action. Seattle Fire Department<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Not every firefighter can train to operate a pump panel, Craig Snow said. Operators need to learn hydraulics and the math involved in managing pressure and flow for multiple hoses. In real life, such practice typically requires the expense of an out-of-service training day, plus using lots of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The VR program would allow a firefighter to learn the basics and go through the motions on a computer at a fire station or at home \u201cso that when you go out and flow water for real, you\u2019re just that much more prepared,\u201d Craig Snow said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isaiah Snow planned to show the VR program to a fire department official, and then they could decide where the project would go from there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a good feeling to see him tackle such a difficult project and really do a professional job,\u201d his father said. \u201cHis mom and I are very proud of him.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Software for starters <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Testing
Testing the VR.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Isaiah Snow plans to continue developing the program and adding details and features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe hope, once everything is modeled correctly, is that we actually see a fire running in the background and other simulated firefighters \u2014 communicating with the pump operator to verify their hose is getting the proper discharge and the stream is being maintained properly \u2014 and that they can see a fire dying down.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He hopes the program would be useful to fire departments beyond Seattle. Similar VR control panels could be made for any model fire engine and possibly be included in the sale of the apparatus. \u201cAnd I can\u2019t see why the software can\u2019t be extended out to paramedics and emergency services,\u201d said Snow, who plans to join the Navy, where he expects to work in computer science. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s hear it <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Isaiah
Isaiah Snow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Snow and Blake took an early version of their project to a Seattle fire station where an experienced pump operator provided some valuable feedback: It needed sound. Firefighters need to hear the engine to inform them how the pump is running. In silence, the experience was too unreal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoing to the fire station and getting the feedback from the pump operator definitely improved the project,\u201d said Blake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took the students about a week to add audio to the simulation. Snow recorded low, medium and high RPM engine noise from the internet and interpolated it in the software. Now, when the operator discharges more water and the pump RPM goes up, the sound matches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t realize how sound was so important in this case,\u201d said Sung, comparing it to shadowing in computer graphics, which is not considered an afterthought or just a cool detail. \u201cIt\u2019s very important to convey where objects are in 3D space.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Design by feedback <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Kellan Blake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The feedback on sound was a valuable lesson in software design, an industry where some techies might prioritize the latest technology over the experience of users, Sung said. \u201cSometimes students defend their work saying, \u2018You\u2019re using it wrong.\u2019 A lot of computer companies do that: \u2018Here\u2019s our feature. This is how you should use it,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cAnything you do that goes out in the real world, make sure you understand the user without being defensive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blake said the capstone project gave him that experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore, you made the program for the teacher. You didn\u2019t make it for somebody who actually needed it to do something,\u201d said Blake, who is looking for a job or internship in software engineering. \u201cIt\u2019s helped me to think of things in terms of how to make this easier for the user, rather than how can I program this in the easiest way possible.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A virtual reality program developed by two Computer Science & Software Engineering majors might be used to train firefighters to run the water pump control panel on a fire engine, saving time, expense and water.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[202,218],"tags":[246],"school":[421],"class_list":["post-18268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-campus-news","category-community-engagement","tag-computer-science","school-school-of-stem"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":null,"link_2":null,"link_3":null,"link_4":null,"link_5":null},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":null,"button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nFirefighters can train in VR, save water - 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