Instrumenting Bomb Disposal Suits with Wireless Sensor Networks

Bomb disposal suits contain a large amount of padding and armour to protect the wearer's vital organs in the case of explosion. The combination of the heavy (roughly 40kg) suit, physical exertion, and the environment in which these suits are worn can cause the wearer's temperature to rise to uncomfortable and potentially dangerous levels during missions. This paper reports on the development of a wearable wireless sensing system suitable for deployment in such manned bomb disposal missions. In its final form, the system will be capable of making in-network autonomous decisions related to the actuation of cooling within the suit, in order to increase the comfort of the wearer. In addition, it will allow an external observer to remotely monitor the health and comfort of the operative. Laboratory experiments with the instrumented suit show how skin temperature varies differently for different skin sites, motivating the need for multiple, distributed sensing. The need for timely...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2008
• Where: ICINCO
• Authors: John Kemp, Elena I. Gaura, James Brusey
• Keywords: Bomb Disposal, Bomb Disposal Suits, ICINCO 2008, Robotics, Wearer's Vital Organs