Communication Innovation For First Responders

"A group of students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has created a wearable communication jacket for first responders in emergency situations.

Firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians, for example, need to communicate with each other in an emergency, but smartphones are uniquely unsuited to the task. The mobile phone requires both hands and the attention of the person holding it – a liability when you’re dodging hazards."

The students have created a digital display that is secured in the arm of the emergency worker's jacket and vibrates when a new message is displayed.  Just raising an arm allows the first responder to see the message.  You can see an example of the jacket and video report here:
http://mashable.com/2012/11/06/jacket-messages/
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat