Science ministry pursues smartwatch system for disaster responders

The science ministry said it will pursue a smartwatch system linked to the disaster-safety communications network to reduce equipment burdens for emergency responders at disaster sites.

The two ministries selected the smartwatch project following a survey of research demand among central-government agencies and local governments last month and a review by relevant-field experts. It is the final selection among 11 initiatives planned for 2026 under the National Life Safety Emergency Response Research program.

The ministries said the program seeks to rapidly develop science-and-technology solutions to disaster-safety problems affecting daily life and apply the results at disaster sites to resolve problems and prevent recurrences. The other 10 initiatives cover response technologies for wildfires, ground subsidence, maritime accidents, heavy snow and flooding.

Response personnel, including police officers, firefighters and local-government officials, must carry a disaster-safety-network terminal, a radio and a personal mobile phone, while overlapping radio traffic can obscure critical information and instructions.

Under the project, an AI system will analyze and summarize radio traffic, deliver key information through a network-linked smartwatch, and monitor users' heart rates, skin temperature and location.

The ministries said the system could help responders identify real-time conditions and assignments clearly and help prevent large-scale loss of life and property.

Applications from research institutions are open from Aug. 7 through Sept. 7. The selected institution will receive about 900 million won ($636,087) in research funding from the two ministries over two years.

"More than anything, it is important for disaster-site response personnel to shed the burden of carrying equipment and recognize the situation quickly and accurately," Park Hyeong-bae, the Interior Ministry's director general for safety-prevention policy, said.