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The government is pushing to develop a dedicated smartwatch that connects to the national disaster safety communications network, using AI to summarize and relay radio communications. / Image generated with ChatGPT

Technology is being developed that uses AI to summarize the flood of radio communications at disaster sites and relay it to a smartwatch. The goal is to ease the burden on field responders like police and firefighters, who currently have to carry multiple communication devices at once, and to help them grasp urgent situational information more quickly.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 17th that they will pursue "Development of a Smartwatch Linked to the National Disaster Safety Communications Network and an AI Radio Summary/Notification System" as a new project under the "Emergency Response Research for Public Safety" program.

Currently, police, firefighters, and local government officials deployed to disaster sites must carry and operate disaster safety network terminals, radios, and personal mobile phones all at once. When an incident occurs, radio traffic can pile up or overlap, making it difficult at times to properly grasp key information and instructions.

In response, the government plans to develop a dedicated smartwatch linked to the disaster safety communications network, along with a system in which AI analyzes and summarizes radio communications to deliver key information in real time. The smartwatch will also include features to monitor field personnel's heart rate, skin temperature, and location.

This project was selected based on demand from the field. Last month, the government surveyed central and local government agencies on research needs in the disaster safety field, then finalized the smartwatch development project as a new initiative after review by relevant experts.

Applications for participating research institutions will be accepted through September 7. The selected institution will receive around 900 million won in R&D funding over two years from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Science and ICT, with the research period running through August 2028.

This project is the last of 11 tasks selected this year under the Emergency Response Research for Public Safety program. The government has previously pursued technology development in disaster and safety fields, including wildfire suppression equipment, early detection of ground subsidence, snow removal robots for heavy snowfall response, and technology for responding to compound flooding.

Park Hyung-bae, head of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Safety Policy Bureau, said, "It's especially important for field responders at disaster sites to be freed from the burden of carrying multiple devices so they can quickly and accurately grasp the situation," adding, "We will actively support this research project so that the resulting smartwatch can establish itself as a device that strengthens the government's disaster response capabilities."

                                                                                                         Kim Nam-hyung