DAMAGE CONTROL SUPERVISOR'S ASSISTANT

During a shipboard emergency, damage control supervisors must quickly get to the location of the incident and immediately begin evaluating the type, level, and location of the damage. The supervisor must draw upon and assimilate vast amounts of information, often relying on years of experience and training. The high stress associated with damage control environments, however, can result in an individual's failure to take into account valuable information. The supervisor's job is often made more difficult by the presence of smoke and obsurants which can severely limit vision, potentially delaying the supervisor's arrival at the site and/or affecting the accuracy of the evaluation. The combined lack of information and visual ability can severely impact the accuracy and timeliness of damage control assessments. A delayed or erroneous classification of type or severity could potentially result in a loss of equipment, mobility, readiness, or life. The contractor shall attempt to increase the responsiveness and effectiveness of damage control supervisors through the use of wearable hands-free computers equipped with infrared sensors. Such a system would enable individuals to "see" through smoke and obscurants while simultaneously and effortlessly accessing large amounts of computer-based data.