AROC by BadVR — Revolutionizing First Responder Technology
Hey there followers and friends! 2020 has been a truly unprecedented and historic year for our organization (and for the rest of the world, tbh). However, we’re proud of the advancements, growth, and success our company has experienced despite the existential challenges we’ve all been facing.
Of the many achievements of which we are proud of in 2020, our advancement to phase 4 of the NIST CHARIoT challenge ranks near the top of that list! Part of that challenge included building new adaptations to our AROC product, which we’d like to share with y’all.
Let’s connect with our Director of Strategic Partnerships — and AROC expert — Adam Caplan for a quick conversation about AROC, the CHARIoT Challenge, and how BadVR uses complex, data-driven, immersive environments to revolutionize first-responder technology and response capabilities!
We hope you enjoy learning a little bit more about BadVR, AROC, and what we’ve been up to this year!
Please tell us about yourself and how we got involved in the CHARIoT challenge?
I’m the Director of Strategic Partnerships for BadVR. In addition to reaching out to potential clients in the enterprise space, I work with our leadership team on vetting grant opportunities. One of these opportunities is the CHARIoT Challenge, hosted by NIST. Upon reading the initial brief, this tech sprint to create an AR (augmented reality) interface for first responders seemed like a perfect fit for our AROC solution. So, I put together our initial proposal for the first phase in written form. I’m proud to say we were advanced to phase 2 which involved creating a prototype for a specific emergency situation. During Phase 2, we were also given the opportunity to partner with Scott Barthelmass of the Eureka Fire Department in Eureka, MO. After an amazing and productive trip to Eureka, I was able to bring additional ideas back to the team. With this first-hand experience in our pocket, we were then able to update the interface for our CHARIoT phase 3 submission. I’m honored to say it was a resounding success and we were invited to participate in phase 4 of the challenge which will take place in 2021.
What is AROC?
AROC is an acronym for Augmented Reality Operations Center, BadVR’s AR holographic system that provides a revolutionary level of situational awareness, and command and control. It’s geared towards providing a comprehensive solution for first responders and public safety officers. Simply put, AROC is an operations center in a box — or a headset, to be exact. The AROC platform brings together multi-variate and multi-domain information — anywhere and in real-time — into one easy-to-use holistic environment, improving decision-making time and accuracy. AROC is currently being further developed during phase 4 of the NIST CHARIoT challenge.
Who is BadVR?
We are a team of designers, engineers, and artists building the world’s first immersive data visualization platform. Through the power of immersive technology (meaning augmented and virtual reality and everything in between), we’ve pioneered a new way to interact, explore, and understand data. Pushing past the 2D limitations of flat computer screens, our 3D augmented and virtual reality platform brings multi-dimensional data to life in real-time. AR and VR, when used to visualize and analyze data, represent a natural evolution in the course of data visualization. 3D immersive environments allow for multiple, large, complex data sets to be ingested simultaneously, without a resulting increase in the cognitive load required to do so. Visualizing data immersively also creates transparency by eliminating the need for advanced training or specified knowledge to understand multiple complex data sets. This novel approach to the presentation of information holds the potential for countless enterprise and public safety benefits. Our business is building this future of data, one immersive data experience at a time!
What is the CHARIoT Challenge?
The CHARIoT Challenge is a competition held through the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Its goal is to help support the creation of forward-thinking augmented reality products for incident commanders and first responders. It is a 4-phase challenge, which includes the delivery of an initial white paper and proof-of-concept prototype, followed by additional prototypes that visualize and use real public safety datasets (provided by NIST). The final phase of the challenge (and the final submissions) will be live-tested in early 2021.
How has the CHARIoT Challenge helped BadVR improve their AROC product?
While BadVR’s AROC product existed far before the event, the CHARIoT challenge has provided our team with an opportunity to further build upon the current AROC platform, to collaborate with real-world public safety officials, and to incorporate their extremely valuable feedback. Through tailoring the platform for the specifics of the challenge, we’ve further developed our advanced Heads-Up Display (HUD), increasing accessibility and making it usable by everyone — from operators at headquarters to local commanders in the field. Advancing to phase 4 of the CHARIoT challenge has been a tremendous honor for our organization and has created many opportunities for the growth and evolution of our AROC platform.
What are AROC’s targeted use cases?
At its core, AROC is an intuitive solution for the visualization, analysis, and management of complex datasets. Supply chains, factories, and logistics use cases are obvious applications, however, AROC’s versatility allows for adaptability to any potential use case requiring the management of multiple complex real-time data streams. This includes public safety and first responder scenarios as well.
What headsets and devices support AROC?
One of AROC’s greatest strengths is that the solution is headset agnostic. This means it runs on any device that supports augmented or virtual reality — including phones and tablets! We suggest using AROC on the Magic Leap or Holo-Lens, however, the program is built to adapt to other augmented reality hardware devices that may be available to you.
Who are AROC’s public partners?
We are currently developing this platform for multiple public safety and municipal agencies. We’re very grateful for these partnerships and our ability to participate in the CHARIoT Challenge! :)
Sounds rad! How can I get a demo of AROC?
We’re glad you asked! Reach out to me, Adam Caplan, Director of Strategic Partnerships via info@badvr.com. Or, follow the links below for more information:
We at BadVR are incredibly proud of the work Adam Caplan has done this year as our Director of Strategic Partnerships. Our success in the CHARIoT challenge and the continued evolution of the AROC platform are just a few examples of the work Adam has done for us during this challenging year. Our organization is extremely lucky to have such a unique and diverse team. We’re very grateful for the success we’ve had in 2020, but extremely excited for what is bound to be a historic 2021 for our company, and the entire world!
We hope you have a wonderful holiday and we will see you next year! 🎉 😎
