Joel Wilson's research focus is to design and test head-mounted displays (HMDs) for firefighters.  He has created two HMD prototypes, called FireEyes, which are mounted inside a firefighter's facemask in order to relay performance and safety enhancing information in a hands free format.  One FireEye is a see-through type in which the real environment can be seen behind the image, while the other is an occluded design.  The designs are based on data from user needs studies with the Chicago and Berkeley Fire
Departments.  Therefore, the design goals include being rugged, inexpensive relative to most HMDs, minimally distracting, and easy to operate.
The FireEye shows an interactive floor plan map with current locations of the user, their Buddy (following the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) “Buddy System”), other company members, areas where smoke alarms have activated, and remaining air supply.  The GUI is kept simple to prevent the FireEye from becoming an attention cost.  The FireEye will also act via SmokeNet as a communication means for frequent yes/no checkups with the IC, and automatically alert the user of emergencies like “low air” and “evacuate” using tactile and visual communication.  This will mitigate information overload from walkie-talkies and liberate overtaxed bandwidth.  Continuously updated information comes from SmokeNet’s RF enabled location, temperature, and smoke sensors.  This information will be evaluated by a computer on the firefighter, updating the GUI with a new map view and any messages.  These features are intended to give firefighters more information for decision-making, improved situational awareness, and a higher degree of safety. 

Future research will include improving the firefighter's and Incident Commander's GUI, downsizing the FireEye's wearable computer, implementing button activated or voice control of the GUI, and conducting user experiments to determine whether the FireEye and the overall FIRE system is helpful to firefighters.  The experiments will focus on how the FireEye affects navigation in challenging unknown environments, such as in a large building with dark, smoke-filled hallways, and firefighting tasks such as locating a man down.