ALICANTE, 20 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Unit of the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) of Elche (Alicante), the Footwear Technology Center (Inescop) and the safety footwear company Panter have developed “intelligent and sustainable” intervention footwear using technologies robotics and artificial intelligence, which seeks to reduce the fatigue of emergency teams.
These boots have been developed in collaboration with end users, such as the firefighters of the Alicante Provincial Fire Station in Sant Vicent del Raspeig, and were presented this Wednesday, as indicated by the academic institution in a statement.
After evaluating the robotic boots developed in the laboratory, the results confirm that oxygen consumption is reduced by between 13 and 15 percent during a demanding walk, carrying a weight of 15 kilos.
UMH professor Nicolás García explained that these first results are “very promising”, since oxygen consumption “can be correlated with fatigue and a reduction of this magnitude would help improve the intervention of emergency teams and reduce the possibilities of accidents and/or injuries occurring in their actions”.
Currently, robotic boots are completely autonomous, powered by interchangeable batteries and have buttons to adjust the level of assistance provided by the boot.
The project is coordinated by Inescop’s R&D director, Francisca Aran, who works in collaboration with the professor at the UMH Bioengineering Institute Nicolás García Aracil. The consortium is completed by Panter, a Spanish company that manufactures EPI protective footwear, which is represented by its CEO, Ramón Pajares, who coordinates the company’s work and resources for the development of a boot that includes the robotic system developed and betting on the inclusion of this product in the market.
This initiative is part of the ‘EXOEPI’ project, financed by the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI), within the line of strategic projects.