Submissions are to fall under four categories: Education, Health-Medical, Environment-Safety and Local Community. First-time entries are eligible for Idea Awards and for solutions that have particularly far-reaching implications for society, Samsung Electronics has the option to provide additional support through their Impact awards. For more information, visit: http://www.tomorrowsolutions.org

Ignis helps Firefighters Spot Victims and Dangers in the Field with Thermal Imaging

The winner of the 2016 Idea Award and the 2017 Impact award was Ignis, a project for an affordable thermal imaging solution customised for firefighters. Inspired by a real-life situation experienced by firefighter Han Gyeong-Seung, Ignis was proposed through Samsung Tomorrow Solution and then further developed by Samsung Electronics Creative Lab (C-Lab).

A fireman demonstrates Ignis in a simulated fire

Conventional thermal cameras are bulky and expensive, which makes them difficult to dispatch in actual firefighting and rescue missions. Working with local firefighters, the Ignis team devised a small, light and easy-to-use thermal camera that can be attached to the firefighters’ masks. Samsung donated 1,000 of these Ignis cameras to fire stations throughout Korea.

About Samsung Tomorrow Solution

Samsung Tomorrow Solution is a social contribution contest that was created in 2013. Over 7,000 teams, consisted of over 30,000 people, have taken part in the contest during the last five years.

To date, Samsung Electronics has awarded a total of one billion Korean Won (about R12 million) to 40 winners through Samsung Tomorrow Solution, helping them further pursue and realise their ideas. Samsung has also invested additional assets, including financial, technical and human resources, to further develop and distribute solutions with particularly great potential.

Now in its sixth year and for the first year open as a global initiative, the project’s continuing quest to find and fund ideas that can help the public landscape is still going strong.

Additional Images

Ignis, an affordable thermal imaging camera customized for firefighters

The Ignis team worked with local firefighters to understand the full needs of their thermal imaging system

A local firefighter prepares to test an Ignis prototype

This infrared image, from a prototype test, is similar to what firefighters can see using Ignis’ technology