INSTRUMENTING BOMB DISPOSAL SUITS WITH WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS John Kemp, Elena I. Gaura, James Brusey Cogent Computing Applied Research Centre, Coventry University, Priory St, Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK {kempj,e.gaura,j.brusey}@coventry.ac.uk Keywords: Body sensor networks, first responders, actuation Abstract: Bomb disposal suits contain a large amount of padding and armour to protect the wearer’s vital organs in the case of explosion. The combination of the heavy (roughly 40kg) suit, physical exertion, and the environment in which these suits are worn can cause the wearer’s temperature to rise to uncomfortable and potentially dangerous levels during missions. This paper reports on the development of a wearable wireless sensing system suitable for deployment in such manned bomb disposal missions. In its final form, the system will be capable of making in-network autonomous decisions related to the actuation of cooling within the suit, in order to increase the comfort of the wearer. In addition, it will allow an external observer to remotely monitor the health and comfort of the operative. Laboratory experiments with the instrumented suit show how skin temperature varies differently for different skin sites, motivating the need for multiple, distributed sensing. The need for timely application of in-suit cooling is also shown, as well as the importance of monitoring the overall health of the wearer of the suit. 1 Introduction The monitoring of hazardous environments, along with the people working within them, is an area which lends itself to the use of wireless and body sensor networks (WSNs and BSNs). The field is rich with potential WSN applications in detecting hazards, pro- viding feedback to remote observers and other critical tasks that can increase the safety and benefit the over- all working conditions of people operating in these environments. This paper reports the work towards the development of a wireless body sensor network for the protective suits worn in bomb disposal mis- sions. A typical bomb disposal mission will initially in- volve investigating the site using a remote controlled robot, and if possible, disarming the bomb remotely. Sometimes, however, it is necessary for a human bomb disposal expert to disarm the device. For this, the expert will put on a protective suit and helmet (as shown in figure 1), pick up a tool box of equipment, and walk the 100 or so metres to the site. To reach the bomb’s location, it may be necessary to climb stairs, Figure 1: Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Suit crawl through passageways, or even lie down. The environment where the suit is used, such as the hot climate of the Middle East, plays an impor- tant role in the design of the protective suit. One of the UK manufacturers of such suits has identified the problem of the suit wearer becoming uncomfortably hot and, in the worst case, suffering heat exhaustion. They have attempted to address this by installing an in-suit cooling system based on a dry-ice pack and a fan that cycles air through the pack and blows cooled air onto the wearer’s back and into the helmet. The cooling system has a variable control thus both allow-