Connected police vest: IoT and AI for greater safety in the field

AI and IoT for the security of armed forces: The French General Directorate of the Gendarmerie Nationale (DGGN) and Wearin', the start-up from Swiss technology group Conextivity, are testing the integration of an intelligent IoT device into tactical protective vests worn by gendarmes in a joint project. The device is designed to automatically detect emergency situations via AI and send warnings to the command center. The innovative solution has been tailored to the needs of various professional groups in law enforcement agencies.

The new tactical IoT solution, which is attached to pre-installed protective vests, ensures high-level safety and connectivity through a state-of-the-art AI-enhanced warning device that is independent of current radio systems. This robust device, called Wearin' Brain, is triggered either manually via an SOS button or automatically when it detects an abnormal situation, such as a fall, penetration of the vest's protective shell after a stab wound or a gunshot impact. Along with the warning, the device also transmits the geodata of the affected personnel to the command center.

The connectivity kit features intelligent energy management and a central high-performance battery with a runtime of eight hours. This significantly extends the operating time of the gendarmerie's electronic equipment. The kit's optimized cabling allows the devices to be charged via a single cable, which the officer can simply connect to his vehicle.

Visibility at night

The Wearin' Brain, the Wearin' battery and the quick-change system are ergonomically integrated into the vest via MOLLE attachments and/or heavy-duty multifunctional pockets. The luminous fibers on the front and back of the vest improve the visibility of emergency personnel during night operations.

"The vest we are developing with Wearin' incorporates the latest technologies in connectivity, detection, communication and visibility," explains Lieutenant Colonel Fabrice Blanc, Head of the Connected Vest program at DGGN. The IoT solution, called Wearin' X DGGN Smart Tactical Vest, has been developed with an open, modular architecture designed for interoperability with current and future systems. The vest is constantly being further developed as part of the partnership and continuously adapted to the operational needs of law enforcement agencies. Depending on the type of deployment of gendarmes, national or municipal police officers or customs officers, the requirements can vary greatly.

Quick decisions

The IoT platform developed by Wearin' can be deployed with a dashboard that is integrated into the command center system and provides real-time information about the situation on the ground. This is done using data from sensors, warning devices and communication systems worn by the emergency services. On the basis of this precise information about ongoing operations, commanders can make tactical decisions more quickly and coordinate forces faster and better.

The innovation partnership between Wearin' and DGGN, signed in November 2023, is supported by the French Ministry of Defense's Defense Innovation Agency and the National Gendarmerie's Transformation Department.

Source: Conextivity Group