There are wireless monitors out there that'll let police and fire chiefs could remotely track the health of their crews. But the signals tend to get lost in urban canyons and over long distances. Plus, the sensors tend not to work well together.
So the Department of Homeland Security is asking researchers to work up a "wireless body area network."
*Recent progress in the research and development of wireless body area networks might help facilitate cost effective and flexible solutions for first responders. Wireless body area network technology could provide the ability to use a less expensive array of plug and play sensors for different needs and responder requirements. A wireless body area network standard might allow responders to competitively select from various vendors with unique specialization in order to be equipped with the most appropriate sensor grouping for their job. Such a modular approach would allow for sensor and network technologies to evolve yet minimizing loss of total investment. *
OK, sure. But I'd rather see these guys get a decent set of radios first, y'know? Nearly six years after 9/11, many of these "first responders" still can't talk to one another -- let along monitor each other's heart rates.
