FLIR 100

[Police & K9 Dog Communication]

The FLIR K100 is an officer-to-dog solution that allows the police officer to see the position and as well as a live camera feed from the dogs perspective. A stabilized camera unit is mounted on the dog. The unit also have vibration control and voice-command speaker to give the handler a certain amount of communication with the dog in free-running situations over larger areas. The officer on the other hand is carrying a display and controller which all the data collected by the unit on the dog are displayed.

The benefit of live-feedback is that the K9 officer can evaluate the situation at the dogs position and decide if it´s necessary to act on directly. If interesting but not priority at the moment the gps position can be flagged for later investigation. If not deemed necessary it can be skipped and in that case will save time. If the situation is required to take action the officer can call in back-up before arriving at the scene, which will save time and eventual risk.

The live camera stream and gps positioning is furthermore shared with other operatives and the communication center which give them a direct overview of the situation, which enables them to make a judgement of the situation and act accordingly without having to always consult with the officer at the scene.

The project was a collaboration with FLIR to explore new markets and opportunities where Thermal IR-technology could be applied. Through the research we visited several different areas where FLIR-technology might be useful. Among them where the K9 police force.

When visiting the K9 Police force it became clear that they had an interest and need in better equipment. Still using whistle, paper maps, compasses supported by simple gps-tools and com-radios. The maps and compasses are trustworthy in every situation and weather, but also slow and didn't provide a good overview. The whistles worked well for commands to the dogs over short distances but couldn't be used over larger areas. The gps-tool provides live position of the dog, but nothing more. They were talking about how to remove unnecessary "processes" in their workflow to give them the freedom and mobility they would need to execute their duties.

The FLIR K100 is an officer-to-dog solution that allows the police officer to see the position and as well as a live camera feed from the dogs perspective. A stabilized camera unit is mounted on the dog. The unit also have vibration control and voice-command speaker to give the handler a certain amount of communication with the dog in free-running situations over larger areas. The officer on the other hand is carrying a display and controller which all the data collected by the unit on the dog are displayed.

The benefit of live-feedback is that the K9 officer can evaluate the situation at the dogs position and decide if it´s necessary to act on directly. If interesting but not priority at the moment the gps position can be flagged for later investigation. If not deemed necessary it can be skipped and in that case will save time. If the situation is required to take action the officer can call in back-up before arriving at the scene, which will save time and eventual risk.

The live camera stream and gps positioning is furthermore shared with other operatives and the communication center which give them a direct overview of the situation, which enables them to make a judgement of the situation and act accordingly without having to always consult with the officer at the scene.