Body Language Interpretation for Emergency Response

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Solution Overview

Problem

Language and hearing impaired individuals face challenges in communicating effectively with remote emergency stations, and monitoring systems struggle to detect distress situations in crowds due to limitations in interpreting body language.

Innovation Solution

A computer-implemented method and system that receives a video feed of body communication, determines if it indicates an emergency, translates it into text or audio, and transmits this information to a monitoring station, allowing for responsive communication and instructions to be outputted back to the individual in distress.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a voice communication system is used for remote emergency stations, then communication is effective for hearing individuals, but it becomes ineffective for language and hearing impaired individuals who use sign language or body communication

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication compatibilityVSAvoidemergency communication reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a machine interpretation system as an intermediary between the emergency station and monitoring center. This system captures body language and sign language communications, translates them into text or audio, and transmits the translated information to the monitoring center, enabling effective communication for all individuals regardless of hearing or language abilities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The emergency communication system is enhanced to handle multiple communication modes universally. It can process both traditional voice communications and body language/sign language communications through the machine interpretation system, making the system adaptable and reliable for diverse user groups including hearing-impaired individuals

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If traditional monitoring systems are used, then they can detect voice communications, but they cannot detect emergency situations based on crowd movement or group body language

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetection capabilityVSAvoidbody language detection difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces traditional voice-based detection mechanisms with a machine interpretation system that uses computer vision and pattern recognition algorithms. This system analyzes video feeds to detect body language, sign language, and crowd movement patterns, substituting mechanical voice detection with intelligent visual analysis capable of interpreting non-verbal communications

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The machine interpretation system serves as an intermediary between the visual field and the monitoring center. It captures video data, interprets body language and crowd movements through algorithmic analysis, translates these interpretations into actionable information, and transmits them to the monitoring center for appropriate response

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Speed

If an individual only signals for help without providing details, then emergency response can be initiated, but the person cannot provide details of the emergency or receive instructions or feedback

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveemergency response speedVSAvoidemergency detail information

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the machine interpretation system not only captures and translates the initial distress signal but also enables two-way communication. The system can translate instructions from the monitoring center back to the individual in distress, ensuring that detailed emergency information and response instructions are effectively communicated without loss of information

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The machine interpretation system acts as an intermediary that bridges the communication gap between the individual in distress and the monitoring center. It captures subtle body language cues that may contain emergency details, translates them accurately, and ensures bidirectional communication so that both emergency details and response instructions are effectively transmitted

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS10909333B2Machine interpretation of distress situations using body language

Publication Date: 2021.02.02 HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC

AI summary

A system for remote body communication that includes a processor configured to receive a video feed of a person performing a body communication. The processor is configured to determine whether the body communication is indicative of an emergency situation, translate the body communication, to a text or audio communication, and transmit the video feed and the text or audio communication to a receiving monitoring station. The processor then receives a responsive video feed of a responsive body communication and a responsive text or audio communication indicative of an instruction related to the emergency situation, and outputs the responsive video feed of the responsive body communication and the responsive text or audio communication via an operatively connected output processor.