Patent Publication Number: US-11029127-B2

Title: Public safety smart belt

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This patent application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/509,537 filed Jul. 12, 2019, which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/149,057 filed Oct. 1, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,514,237, which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/831,297 filed Dec. 4, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,112,575, which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/420,066 filed Jan. 30, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,859,938, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/289,313 filed Jan. 31, 2016, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The invention relates generally to a wearable computer device worn as a belt. 
     BACKGROUND 
     As public technology advances and additional hardware and software applications become available to public safety employees, the amount of space available on the “traditional” public safety utility belt to carry these devices has become limited. Another challenge is the ability to maintain power to these devices on a long-term basis, throughout the shift of the public safety employee. In addition, many of these devices and applications generate data, which must be captured and stored. For many applications this data must also be transferred or uploaded either immediately or at a later time. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A better understanding of the claimed subject matter can be obtained when the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following figures. 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating the internal components that may be wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIGS. 2 and 3  are diagrams illustrating the seat mounted inductive charging configurations according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is an illustration of a myriad of external and internal public safety components wired or wirelessly coupled to the smart belt according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is an illustration of a public safety vehicle and its components wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  is an illustration of drone technology incorporated with a public safety vehicle equipped with seat mounted inductive charging for a smart belt according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  is an illustration of a myriad of external and internal public safety components including drone technology wired or wirelessly coupled to the smart belt according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8  is an illustration of a public safety vehicle and its components wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIGS. 9-11  illustrates various scenarios in which a tracking device may be affixed to a vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 12  is an illustration of an embodiment in which conductive wires are incorporated into clothing items to conduct electricity and data signals to the devices and components coupled to special connectors incorporated into the clothing items; and 
         FIG. 13  is an illustration of an embodiment in which a smart clothing system includes a remote camera working in conjunction with a clothing item that incorporates conductive fibers to conduct electricity and data signals. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a wearable computer system  10 , in the form of a smart belt  10  (in the form of an elongated strap and a fastener like a buckle) to be worn by a public safety employee, or other human being, to carry a myriad of tools, devices, and other items. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the system includes a belt  10 , containing a computer microprocessor  12  that may be embedded in the belt or otherwise coupled thereto and operable to control the functions of the belt and the integration of other wired or wirelessly connected devices with the smart belt  10 . The system further includes a wireless data communications system  14  disposed within or coupled to the smart belt  10  that is capable of wirelessly communicatively coupling the microprocessor  12  with external data communications systems such as cellular networks, local computer networks, and global computer networks. The smart belt  10  includes one or more radio transceiver(s) and antennae to enable wireless communication of voice data, sensor data, commands, instructions, Global Positioning System (GPS) or location data, Internet data, etc. 
     The smart belt  10  may contain GPS components  16  to report or record the geo-location (coordinates and/or street address) of the smart belt or its components. Here, GPS components  16  also represent accelerometer and/or gyroscope devices that are used to detect the orientation of the smart belt and generate orientation data. In addition, the smart belt  10  includes an embedded expansion area for additional memory and/or data storage devices  18 . In various embodiments, memory devices  18  include one or more memory devices in various combinations, such as static memory (such as flash memory, SRAM memory and ROM devices), dynamic memory (such as RAM and DRAM). In one embodiment, memory devices are integrated within the smart belt  10  and not generally designed to be removable except for maintenance purposes. For example, in this embodiment, the smart belt  10  may be manufactured with a certain amount of memory, such as 4 GB of RAM. In another embodiment, memory devices  18  may be mounted externally or in an expandable manner, such as interfaces to receive memory modules and/or flash memory cards (such as USB, microSD and SD (Secure Digital) cards) to expand the available memory. In yet another embodiment, memory devices  18  may include a combination of both integrated memory and the functionality to allow attachment of additional memory devices coupled to the external surface(s) of the smart belt  10 . In various embodiments, memory devices  18  may be used by one or more of microprocessor  12 , wireless data communications system  14 , GPS components  16  and devices mounted on the smart belt  12 . 
     Further, the smart belt  10  may incorporate a removable or fixed data storage component  20  now known, such as flash memory hard drives, USB storage devices and/or rotating magnetic hard drives, or to be developed to store additional data generated by the microprocessor as well as data generated by the wired or wirelessly connected devices. Further, the smart belt  10  may contain a rechargeable power supply  22  capable of powering all of the components of the smart belt  10  as well as external components which may be integrated with the smart belt  10 . The smart belt  10  may incorporate a power strip/data bus  24 , disposed on the exterior or interior of the smart belt, which allows power from the power source  22  disposed within the smart belt to be transmitted to component devices that are attached to the smart belt. The power strip may also be used to provide power to the rechargeable power supply  22  and/or power the components disposed within the smart belt by attaching external power sources (power outlet, supplemental battery, etc.) via a charging port  26  to transfer the power. In addition, the smart belt may connect to a first aid component  27 , described in more detail below. A data port  58  may also be incorporated in the smart belt  10  to upload, download, sync, and transmit data to and from the microprocessor  12  and data storage devices  20 . In at least one embodiment, data port  58  may represent multiple physical data communications systems allowing for a physical data connection between devices and/or device holders coupled to the smart belt  12 . Also, in at least one embodiment, data port  58  and charging port  26  may be combined into the same physical device, such as power over Ethernet systems and USB which provide both power and data communications capabilities. For example, some devices and device holders will need only wireless communications capabilities, while others may require only power charging/recharging capabilities, and some others may prefer both a physical charging connection and a physical data connection, such as a detachable video camera that may need to communicate large quantities of data that would be better served by a higher capacity wired connection vs. a wireless connection while also being recharged. The smart belt further includes a component mounting strip disposed on the exterior of the belt that facilitates the mounting of external components to the belt. 
     The rechargeable power supply  22  in the smart belt  10  may be charged by using inductive charging. An inductive charging system  30  is incorporated within the driver&#39;s seat  32  in a vehicle  33 , and/or in a specially-equipped chair  34  in a home, office facility or other location to charge the power supply in the smart belt  10 . The inductive charging system  30  is incorporated in the seats so that it may inductively couple and charge the power supply  22  in the smart belt  10 . The inductive charging system  30  is preferably embedded in the back portion of the vehicular seat or office seat. In this manner, whenever a person wearing a smart belt  10  is sitting in a seat  32  or  34  equipped with the charging system  30 , the smart belt power supply  22  receives additional electrical charge to replenish its charge. The user does not need to plug the power supply to an outlet or connect any wires or connectors. Charging occurs when the smart belt  10  comes into proximity with the inductive charging system  30 , such as when the wearer is seated in the vehicular or office seat  32  or  34 . Contactless inductive energy transfer is known in the art as a convenient way to transfer energy. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,490,176 and 5,959,433, and published United States Patent Applications, Publication Nos. US 2004/0189,246 and US 2004/0145,343. 
     The power supply  22  in the smart belt is capable of supplying power to all of the devices coupled to and held by the smart belt via the power strip/data bus  24 . The devices are held in sockets or holders that have electrical connections to the power strip/data bus  24  to enable the power and data distribution. The microprocessor  12  is also capable of detecting the power level in any device waning and to distribute power from the batteries of one or more other devices to devices that have low power charge. The microprocessor  12  may also prioritize the devices in the smart belt so that power may be taken from the lower priority devices and distributed to the higher priority devices. 
     In another embodiment as shown in  FIG. 12 , the clothing items  90  (e.g., shirt, jacket, pants, vest, hat, cap, and helmet) worn by the user may incorporate conductive wiring or fibers  101  woven into the fabric that may be used to conduct electricity and data signals to devices and components  102  clipped or attached onto connectors disposed at various locations of the clothing items  90 . These wires  101  may be coupled to power supply  22  to enable powering the devices and components  102 . The wires  101  may also communicatively couple the devices and components  102  to the microprocessor  12  to enable sending and receiving data therefrom. Preferably, the wires  101  are coated to render the outer surface non-conductive. Additionally, the wires  101  are flexible and can be easily and inconspicuously incorporated into the garments  90 . In another embodiment, these wiring or fibers  101  are also configured to detect impact, forces, or penetration (by bullet, knife, club, etc.) being exerted on it and generate data in response thereto. The data may correspond to the amount and direction of the exerted force or impact or a message that notifies the microprocessor, so that appropriate action may be taken, such as sending a message to notify a central command post, or perform analysis of the data to determine the origin of the bullet. 
     In addition, the item of clothing or smart belt  10  may interface with external electronic components wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt. By way of example, one such component may be a holster  40  ( FIG. 2 ) that is capable of detecting when a weapon  42 , such as a gun, is removed from the holster, the number of bullets in the weapon  42 , the mechanical status of the weapon, etc. Further, each external component may be equipped with location and orientation detection mechanism such as GPS/accelerometer/gyroscope devices that can detect the position and orientation of the component (e.g., directional, relative to orientation of the smart belt, and with respect to horizontal/vertical). The microprocessor  12  in the smart belt  10  is configured to receive this information and monitor their position/orientation relative to the wearer or some other frame of reference as configured. An analysis of this data may include determining that the position of a component is too distant from the location of the smart belt wearer, and displaying/sounding a warning message along with the location of the component to the wearer, other smart belts, other persons or to a central public safety dispatch or control center. For example, if a police officer has been separated from their sidearm by more than an expected distance, such as a few feet, the police officer and/or a central control center can be notified. The central dispatch or control center also receives the current geo-location of the smart belt to keep track of the position of all of the wearers. The microprocessor in the smart belt may also be configured to enable or disable devices or certain functionalities of a device, based on the position or orientation of the device in comparison to the smart belt or the distance of the device from the smart belt. The holster  40  may also incorporate a mechanism or mechanical lock that would prevent an unauthorized user from removing the weapon  42  from the holster  40  if certain biometric requirements (e.g., fingerprints, handprint, etc.) are not met. The holster  40  may also work in conjunction with the other belt components. For example, when the weapon  42  is removed from the holster  40 , it may also cause a video recording system associated with the smart belt  10  to activate and begin recording. In addition, the removal of the weapon  42  may cause the GPS component  16  of the smart belt  10  to send the wearer&#39;s location to other wearers or public safety officers in the area or to a central public safety dispatch or control center. The orientation of the weapon  42  is also sensed and relayed to the microprocessor in the smart belt and used in analytics. The microprocessor  12  disposed within the smart belt  10  may control and coordinate the interaction of all connected components on the smart belt  10  to determine the proper action to be taken by any component on the wearer&#39;s person or in the vehicle when one or more of the components are activated. The microprocessor  12  may also record the status/activity/GPS coordinates/orientation of the components and store and/or transfer the status/activity data. The microprocessor  12  may also send an alert to other public safety employees or to a central public safety dispatch center or control center, if a certain component or components are activated. The smart belt  10  may convey information/data to the wearer using a number of ways, such as providing a visually-perceivable display on a pair of goggles or eyewear  52 , and providing aurally-perceivable information using speakers/earbuds  76 , etc. The public safety personnel may receive visual/graphical/audio information related to all of the components associated with the smart belt, including power levels, location/orientation, operating status, central dispatch communications, low fuel level of the vehicle, warning messages, etc. 
     Examples of what may constitute proper action that can be taken automatically include: logging the location, orientation, and acceleration/movement of the wearer/vehicle/external component(s), begin recording audio/video, begin analysis of audio/video information, begin relaying audio/video information to central dispatch/station, relay wearer&#39;s physiological data to central dispatch, sound siren of the vehicle, and turn on an emergency light bar  8  on the vehicle. 
     The following components, may communicate wired or wirelessly with the smart belt  10 : 
     A radar component  29 . The radar component  29  may be a handheld unit, a remote fixed or portable device or a device integrated with the public safety vehicle. When it is activated and being used to measure the speed of passing vehicles, it may relay the measured speed to the microprocessor in the smart belt in a wired or wireless manner, which may project it for viewing by the wearer on the eyewear and/or a display in the vehicle, whichever one that is best suited for the user. If the measured speed exceeds the posted legal speed, the video information captured of the speeding vehicle&#39;s license plate and the driver&#39;s facial features are automatically analyzed using character recognition and facial recognition software to identify the license plate and the speed violator. 
     A flashlight component  46 . In one embodiment, a flashlight component  46  wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt  10  may be charged and monitored via the smart belt. If the smart belt  10  detects a problem (i.e., low battery, defective bulb/battery/switch) it may take action to correct the problem or alert the wearer to the problem. If the flashlight device  46  is activated, the smart belt  10  may record the date/time and location/orientation of the device prior to, during and after the activation, further activate any other components of the smart belt  10  as programmed, further send a notification or alert of the activation or status of the device  46 . 
     A taser, stun gun, or an electroshock weapon component  48 . In one embodiment, the electronic weapon  48  is wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt and its power supply may be charged and monitored via the smart belt  10 . If the smart belt  10  detects a problem (e.g., low battery, defective probe/battery/switch) it may take action to correct the problem or alert the wearer to the problem. If the electronic weapon device  48  is activated, the smart belt  10  may record the date/time and location/orientation of the device prior to, during and after the activation, further activate any other components of the smart belt as programmed, and further send a notification or alert of the activation or status of the device  48 . 
     A facial recognition system. In one embodiment, facial recognition software installed and executing in the microprocessor  12  may work in conjunction with a video camera  50  and/or  60  wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt  10 . The video camera  50  and/or  60  may be mounted on protective eyewear  52  worn by the user or on an armored vest  53 , clothing  90 , or smart belt  10  worn by the user, for example. The video camera is operable to scan the faces and postures of people encountered by the wearer of the smart belt  10  and transmit the image data to the smart belt  10  or a remote database or software application for analysis and to take proper action. 
     A night vision system  54 . The night vision system  54  is coupled to the eyewear  52  to enable the wearer of the eyewear  52  to see in environments of low ambient light. In one embodiment, the night vision component  54  is wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt and may provide 360-degree perimeter movement detection in low light circumstances for the wearer of the smart belt  10 , record the activity and the time/date/geographical location of the activity, and transfer the information to the smart belt to take proper action. 
     A chemical spray component  56 . In one embodiment, the chemical spray component  56  is wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt  10  and may be monitored via the smart belt. If the smart belt  10  detects a problem (e.g., outdated chemicals, low chemical supply, chemical leakage, etc.) it may take action to correct the problem or alert the wearer or a third party of the problem. If the device  56  is activated, the smart belt may record the date/time and location/orientation of the device prior to, during and after the activation, activate any other components of the smart belt as programmed, and further send a notification or alert of the activation or status of the device. 
     A gunshot detection component  28 . In one embodiment, the gunshot detection device  28  may be incorporated into the smart belt and may include one or more microphones or audio sensors that is wired or wirelessly connected to the microprocessor  12  of the smart belt  10  and may sense the sound of a gunshot in the vicinity of the smart belt wearer. Software installed in the microprocessor  22  or elsewhere in the smart belt  10  is capable of analyzing the audio data, detecting gunshots from received audio signals, and determining the probable location of the sniper/shooter. Preferably, multiple microphones are mounted at various locations to enable triangulation analysis to identify the direction and location of the shots, For example, microphones may be disposed on both sides of the user&#39;s helmet, armored vest, glasses, face shield, riot shield, and/or smart belt(s). In addition, the smart belt may receive wireless data from remotely mounted gunshot detection listening devices  28 , such as mounted on vehicles, street lamps, buildings, etc. The software logic is able to take into account the location of the user (wearing microphones), the location of fixed microphones, and determine the location of the shooter based on the which microphones picked up the audio signature of the shot, Doppler effect in the audio signal, the locations of the microphones, and triangulation analysis. Additionally, data from multiple smart belts may be collected for analysis to pinpoint the shooter location. Once detected, the detection may trigger the activation of other smart belt associated components such as the night vision component  54 , video recorder component  60 , GPS component  16 , and the communication component  14 , to automatically send the information to other public safety employees or a public safety facility or other smart belts. It may also use data received via the gunshot detection device  28  or other devices to mathematically or visually determine the possible location of the origin of the gunshot and map the location to be graphically displayed to the wearer of the smart belt visually via glasses or face shield with video and graphical capabilities that are wired or wirelessly associated with the smart belt. 
     In an alternate embodiment or in augmentation to audio signal analysis, items worn and/or held by the user (e.g., helmet, riot shield, armored vest, uniform) may include embedded sensor networks that can take a bullet strike, and wirelessly relay sensor data associated with the bullet strike to a microprocessor (such as the one on the smart belt). The microprocessor may analyze the sensor data (e.g., force, pressure, velocity, direction, location on the item, location of the item, and which direction the surface struck by the bullet faces) to determine the caliber of the bullet and the incident angle and velocity of the bullet strike, and further determine the direction from which the bullet traveled and ultimately the location of the shooter. Data sent to the microprocessor for analysis may also be provided by other remote data sources such as The National Weather Service, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, etc. and may include data including, but not limited to weather, wind direction, mapping or aerial photography 
     An environmental sensor component  62 . In one embodiment, the environmental sensor component  62  is wired or wirelessly connected to the microprocessor  12  of the smart belt  10  and may detect chemical or biological hazards in the environment of the smart belt wearer, take action by activating additional components of the smart belt, and notifying the wearer of the smart belt  10  and others. 
     An audio recording component. In one embodiment, the audio recording component is part of the video recording component  60  described above, but they may be separate independent subsystems. The audio recording component  60  is wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt  10  and may be voice activated and integrate with the Global Positioning system component  16  and be either manually activated to begin recording or begin recording based on certain criteria, e.g., the detection of sound at a certain geographical location. For example, if a police officer is at the police station the device will not record, however if the officer in proximity to residence known for illegal drug activity it may begin to automatically record. In another embodiment, the audio recording device may integrate with voice recognition software to allow the public safety employee to control the function of the smart belt and the wired or wirelessly connected external or internal components via voice commands. In another embodiment, the audio recording component may integrate with a voice recognition component operable to compare the audio pattern and characteristics of voices detected to a digital library of known voices to identify the person detected. Further, the audio recording component may be integrated the video eye glasses  52  that are wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt  10  to display the picture and information to the smart belt wearer based on the identification of the individual by the audio recording component. 
     A video recording component  60 . In one embodiment, the video recording component is wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt and may be voice activated and integrate with the Global Positioning component  16  and be either manually activated to begin recording or begin based on the detection of sound at a certain geographical location. For example, if a police officer is at the police station the device will not record, however if the officer in proximity to residence known for illegal drug activity it may begin to automatically record received video signals. In another embodiment, the video recording component  60  may integrate with the facial recognition component. For another example, the video recording component  60  may automatically begin recording if the smart belt  10  is within a predetermined distance, such as 40 feet, from another human being, such as a person encountering a police officer. Continuing this example, the video recording component  60  could also not be activated if the only other human being(s) in the area is also wearing a smart belt, such as another police officer to avoid recording when only police personnel are present. If the facial recognition component identifies a person or persons in the officer&#39;s vicinity with an arrest/conviction record and/or a history of aggression on police officers, it may begin recording. In another example, if firefighting personnel wearing smart belts are at the scene of a fire and the facial recognition component identifies a known arsonist in the area around the fire personnel wearing smart belts, the recording component may activate and also send the information from the video recording component and the global positioning component or via an electronic alert or other message to a central command and/or public safety employees or other personnel in the area who are also wearing their smart belts. 
     A handcuff component  66 . In one embodiment, the handcuff component  66  is wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt  10  and when the handcuff  66  is removed from its case in the belt, the GPS component  16  is activated to automatically record the location and also to activate the audio component and/or video component to document the surrounding activity, including the arrest. In addition, sensors or devices may be disposed within handcuff component  66  to measure and/or monitor the vital signs of the wearer including, not limited to, blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature or respiration. The vital sign information may be constantly or periodically gathered by the sensors or devices disposed within handcuff component  66  and transmitted to a central monitoring location, a remote computerized monitoring system or a person, either via the wired or wirelessly connected smart belt  10  or a direct connection to an external communication network utilizing a communications component communicatively coupled to handcuff component  66 . 
     A first aid component  27 . In one embodiment, one or more items such as a tourniquet may be part of a first aid component  27  that are wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt  10 . The removal of the tourniquet and/or another from the first aid component would automatically cause the activation of the communication component to send a live or pre-recorded message to the public safety dispatch center or other public safety employees or other personnel in the vicinity. It may also automatically trigger the location stamping of the location by the GPS component  16 , the location being sent with the message by the communication component to a central dispatch or communications center or to other public safety employees or other personnel or other smart belt wearers in the vicinity. In addition, sensors or devices may be disposed within first aid component  27  to measure and/or monitor the vital signs of the patient including, not limited to, blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature or respiration. The vital sign information may be constantly or periodically gathered by the sensors or devices disposed within first aid component  27  and transmitted to a central monitoring location, a remote computerized monitoring system or a person, either via the wired or wirelessly connected smart belt  10  or a direct connection to an external communication network utilizing a communications component communicatively coupled to first aid component  27 . 
     An ammunition storage component  68 . In one embodiment, the ammunition storage component  68  is wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt  10  and may monitor the age or condition of the ammunition contained in the ammunition storage component  68  and notify the wearer of the smart belt (via the microprocessor  12 ) if a problem is detected with the ammunition. In addition, the component may recognize incompatible ammunition as compared to the weapon  42  detected in the firearm holster component  40  and compare the information and notify the wearer of the smart belt  10 . In addition, when ammunition is removed from the ammunition storage component  68  it may cause other components wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt  10  to activate and operate. 
     A communication device component  70 . In one embodiment, the communication device  70  is wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt  10  and allows two-way audible communications between the smart belt wearer and other smart belt wearers or a public safety dispatch center. The communication device component may also function to transfer data to and from the smart belt or the external or internal components wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt, to and from external computer systems, voice or data analytics systems or voice or data storage systems. The communication device component may also work in conjunction with a software component disposed within the smart belt or the smart belt components, to identify components in need of software updates and transmit the data related to the update to the component. 
     A baton component  72 . In one embodiment the baton device  72  is wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt  10  and works in conjunction with software disposed in the baton component  72  or the smart belt  10 , the software component working in conjunction with the microprocessor  12  in the smart belt  10  to recognize the removal of the police baton  72  from the smart belt and cause the GPS component  16  to create a digital stamp of the location/orientation of the device prior to, during or after deployment, the communications device component  70  to send a notification to other smart belt users in the area or a police dispatch facility indicating that the baton  72  has been removed from its holster. The baton&#39;s removal may also cause the audible recoding component, the video recording component, and the facial recognition component to be activated and begin recording. The baton device  72  may also have a biometric component that detects usage by unauthorized person and activates other components of the smart belt and takes action to notify other public safety employees, other smart belts and/or a public safety dispatch center. 
     A holster component  40 . In one embodiment, the holster  40  is wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt  10 , with the weapon  42  contained within the smart belt wired or wirelessly connected to either the holster or the smart belt. The holster may monitor the condition and status of the weapon contained within the holster including, but not limited to the number of bullets in the weapon, if there is a bullet in the chamber of the weapon, the status of the weapon, the number of rounds fired by the weapon and the caliber of the weapon. The holster or smart belt may further detect the removal of the weapon  42  from the holster  40  and the removal of the weapon from the holster may further cause the holster or the smart belt to further activate the audio recording component, the global positioning component, the video recording component, the communications component, the night vision component, and/or the eyewear component or any other component of the smart belt 
     The weapon  42  component. In one embodiment, weapon  42  is a firearm wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt  10 , the smart belt  10  operable to monitor the status of the firearms component including the readiness of the firearm to fire, the usage history of the firearm including the number of times it has been removed from the holster and fired and the location/orientation of the firearm prior to, during or after the firearm is fired. The weapon  42  may also contain a biometric component that prohibits unauthorized users from using the weapon by reporting the biometric information to the smart belt, the smart belt operable to determine that the user is not authorized and disabling the weapon, and further activating other components of the smart belt including but not limited to the GPS component  16 , the video recording component, the communications component and the audio recording component. The smart belt  10  may also notify other smart belt users, other public safety employees or a public safety dispatch center of the status of or use or attempted use of the weapon. The firearm may use traditional primer, casing, powder, and projectile type ammunition or alternate unique ammunition to discharge various objects, projectiles, or substances. In addition, sensors or devices may be disposed within weapon component  42  to measure and/or monitor the vital signs of the user including, not limited to, blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature or respiration. The vital sign information may be constantly or periodically gathered by the sensors or devices disposed within weapon component  42  and transmitted to a central monitoring location, a remote computerized monitoring system or a person, either via the wired or wirelessly connected smart belt  10  or a direct connection to an external communication network utilizing a communications component communicatively coupled to weapon  42 . 
     In addition, the wireless communications component  14  disposed within the smart belt may act to receive software updates for the smart belt itself, as well as the components connected wired or wirelessly to the smart belt. 
     In addition, the smart belt may be wired or wirelessly communicatively coupled to external devices removed, removable or separate from the smart belt including: 
     Eyewear  52  wired or wirelessly communicatively coupled to the smart belt  10  equipped with an internal projection system to provide data, images or video to the wearer received from the wearer&#39;s smart belt or its related components or received from other smart belts worn by other public safety employees. 
     A headset  76  incorporating an ear piece  74  and microphone  78  wired or wirelessly communicatively coupled to the smart belt  10  to provide two-way audio communication via the smart belt or its related components or received from other smart belts worn by other public safety employees. 
     Ballistic headwear  80 . The ballistic headwear  80  or helmet wired or wirelessly communicatively coupled to the smart belt  10  being operable detect impact and measure the degree of impact to the ballistic headwear, or change in orientation of the ballistic headwear, and transfer the information to the smart belt  10  for analysis and take action. 
     A ballistic vest  53 . The ballistic vest wired or wirelessly communicatively coupled to the smart belt  10  is able to detect impact to the ballistic vest and measure the degree of impact, or change in orientation of the ballistic vest, and transfer the information to the smart belt for analysis and take action. In addition, sensors or devices may be disposed within ballistic vest  53  to measure and/or monitor the vital signs of the wearer including, not limited to, blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature or respiration. The vital sign information may be constantly or periodically gathered by the sensors or devices disposed within ballistic vest  53  and transmitted to a central monitoring location, a remote computerized monitoring system or a person, either via the wired or wirelessly connected smart belt  10  or a direct connection to an external communication network utilizing a communications component communicatively coupled to ballistic vest  53 . 
     A ballistic shield  82 . The ballistic shield  82  wired or wirelessly communicatively coupled to the smart belt  10  is capable of detecting impact or change in orientation of the ballistic shield and transfer the information to the smart belt to take action. 
     In addition, the public safety vehicle  33  itself may wired or wirelessly connect as a component of the smart belt  10 . The public safety vehicle  33  may be equipped with sensors to detect glass breakage, intrusion, force applied to the exterior or malfunctions and transfer the information to the smart belt to take action. The sensor may detect glass breakage (sniper fire/car accident/attack while the vehicle is occupied or unoccupied) and send a warning message to the belt wearer (if away from the car) or a centralized monitoring station. 
     In addition, the ballistic shield  82 , helmet  80 , vest  53 , clothing  90  (e.g., shirt, trousers, hat, shoes), and public safety vehicle may be further equipped with external or internal sensors to detect a number of variables. For example, temperature sensors may be used to determine the body temperature of the officer to detect overheating or other less than optimal environment. The officer&#39;s physiological condition may also be measured by a plurality of sensors and relayed to the smart belt. Sensors can also be incorporated to detect the presence of environmental hazards. Sensors may be incorporated into the clothing to determine whether a force exceeding a certain magnitude has been applied to any of the components, determine a velocity and direction vector of the force, and transmit the location information (received from GPS component) to the smart belt  10 . The smart belt  10  is operable to analyze the received information and determine the possible location of the origin of the force/hazard, and take action by alerting the wearer or other public safety personnel in the area or a central public safety dispatch center or control center of the possible location of a suspect or threat based on the analysis. In addition, sensors or devices may be disposed within helmet  80  or clothing  90  to measure and/or monitor the vital signs of the wearer including, not limited to, blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature or respiration. The vital sign information may be constantly or periodically gathered by the sensors or devices disposed within helmet  80  or clothing  90  and transmitted to a central monitoring location, a remote computerized monitoring system or a person, either via the wired or wirelessly connected smart belt  10  or a direct connection to an external communication network utilizing a communications component communicatively coupled to helmet  80  or clothing  90 . 
     In addition, the smart belt  10  may act as an electronic “key” to authorize the operation of the functions of the public safety vehicle  33 . In one embodiment, the smart belt is wirelessly connected to the public safety vehicle and when the smart belt is in proximity to the public safety vehicle it provides a digital authorization for the vehicle to be started. In another embodiment, the smart belt provides a digital authorization for a weapon to be removed from a locking gun lock located within the vehicle. In another embodiment, the mobile data computer mounted in the public safety vehicle will accept a digital verification from the smart belt and allow access to the computers operating system by the authorized wearer of the smart belt. 
     Referring to  FIG. 13 , in one embodiment of the present disclosure a remote camera  1300  operates in conjunction with camera  60 . While the disclosed embodiment discusses camera  60 , alternatively, camera  50  or other components in wired or wireless communication with belt  10  may be used. In addition, multiple cameras, such as cameras  50  and  60 , may be used in conjunction with remote camera  1300 . 
     Remote camera  1300  is a suitable camera capable of receiving video and, optionally, audio input from an area in the field of view of remote camera and communicate video and, optionally, audio, data to a remote location over an external data communications network. In the illustrated embodiment, remote camera  1300  is mounted in a moveable manner that allows panning and tilting, and has the capability to change the zoom level and focus, all of which allow remote camera  1300  to modify remote camera&#39;s  1300  field of view in various ways. Alternatively, remote camera  1300  may have more limited movement, such as only being able to pan or tilt, or lack the ability to change zoom level and focus, such as a camera fixed on an automatic teller machine (ATM). The movement of remote camera  1300  may be self-initiated, such as under the control of software and hardware that is a part of the camera, or the movement may be controlled by commands received from an external control system, such as a server at a police department. Remote camera  1300  is mounted on a suitable mount, such as a lamp post or traffic signal. Alternatively, the mount may be any suitable item, such as a building, ATM, store front, vehicle, such as a public safety vehicle, a drone, a robotic device, another person, an animal, such as a police dog, or other structure. More specifically, the mount for remote camera  1300  is not required to be fixed in place, such as a light pole, but may itself be mobile, such as a drone. In embodiments where the mount for remote camera  1300  is itself mobile, remote camera  1300  may also be requested to change remote camera&#39;s  1300  geographic location, as well as pan, tilt and zoom, and may take into account the motion of the mount when determining where to direct remote camera&#39;s  1300  field of view. Indeed, remote camera  1300  may be another camera  60  or camera  50  mounted on a different wearer of a different belt  10 . Remote camera  1300  is capable of communicating with other devices wireless over a suitable wireless data communications network such as the Internet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and proprietary or custom wireless network technologies. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, remote camera  1300  cooperates with camera  60  to improve the information captured regarding a particular situation. More specifically, remote camera  1300  operates to record additional video information to supplement or support the video information captured by camera  60 . For example, a police officer may be chasing a suspect and have camera  60  on the officer&#39;s body recording to the front, and remote camera  1300 , such as a traffic camera, may be requested or configured to record some other area of interest. For example, remote camera  1300  may be configured to record the officer and camera  60  directly so that a different point of view (e.g. that of the remote camera  1300  vs. the camera  60 ) is available after the incident. For another example, remote camera  1300  may be configured to record behind the officer to capture video of an area that is not covered by camera  60  such as to detect if someone is sneaking up behind the officer. In general, remote camera  1300  can be controlled by an external third-party, such as a police department, or be configured to take certain actions based on criteria stored remote camera  1300  itself, and, in various embodiments, may use a combination of third-party control and internal criteria, such as when remote camera  1300  takes a default action based on the criteria and is later requested to take some other action by the external third-party. 
     In one embodiment, remote camera  1300  is a traffic camera mounted on a street pole as illustrated in  FIG. 13 . Remote camera  1300  may focus directly on camera  60  as shown by the dotted line, or may focus on another area depending on the location of camera  60 , such focusing on a vehicle when camera  60  is behind that vehicle and is obscured as shown in  FIG. 13  so as to exclude camera  60  and/or the field of view of camera  60  from the field of view of remote camera  1300 . Remote camera  1300  may also use the position of the wearer of belt  10  as the basis for determining where to focus remote camera&#39;s  1300  field of view and may also use a field of view associated with camera  60  to determine where remote camera&#39;s field of view should be directed. As camera  60  could be separated from a person wearing belt  10  remote camera  1300  could use location information associated with belt  10  and camera  60  to determine where to focus remote camera&#39;s  1300  field of view, such as by placing the wearer of belt  10  in remote camera&#39;s  1300  field of view since the wearer no longer has camera  60 , placing camera  60  in remote camera&#39;s  1300  field of view since the wearer of belt  10  may have intentionally left camera  60  somewhere, or by placing an area in the field of view of remote camera  1300  that excludes the camera  60  and/or belt  10 . 
     In one embodiment, remote camera  1300  has associated criteria that allows remote camera  1300  to select what area is within the field of view remote camera  1300 . Camera  60  is configured to generate an indication of the location of camera  60 , such as coordinates obtained from a GPS system, and the direction that camera  60  is facing. Camera  60  may also include additional information regarding camera&#39;s  60  field of view. The indication of the location of camera  60 , the facing of camera  60  and camera&#39;s  60  field of view is communicated to remote camera  1300  wirelessly, such as via wireless communications system  14 . Remote camera  1300  then uses one or more of the location, facing and field of view information for camera  60  to determine what area to include in remote camera&#39;s  1300  field of view. More specifically, the criteria for remote camera  1300  may determine that the field of view of remote camera  1300  should include or exclude an area of interest, in whole or in part, camera  60 , belt  10  and/or the field of view of remote camera  1300 . For example, the criteria can indicate that remote camera  1300  should include an area that is also in the field of view of camera  60 , while excluding camera  60  from the remote camera&#39;s  1300  field of view, so that information about that area of interest is recorded from multiple directions. For another example, the criteria can indicate that remote camera should include camera  60  in remote camera&#39;s  1300  field of view so that activity around camera  60 , including the area behind camera&#39;s  60  field of view, is included. For yet another example, the criteria may indicate that remote camera  1300  should include an area that is not included in camera&#39;s  60  field of view so that a separate area is in remote camera&#39;s  1300  field of view, such as an alley behind a police officer wearing camera  60  in order to detect or record someone coming up from behind the officer. In various embodiments, the criteria indicates actions that are conditional, such as recording an area behind camera  60  if the remote camera cannot see camera  60  or camera  60  is obscured, such as when camera  60  is located behind a vehicle between camera  60  and remote camera  1300 . The criteria may also indicate actions to be taken depending on the information available to remote camera  1300 , such as when less than all of location, direction of facing and/or field of view of camera  60  is available to remote camera  1300 . For example, remote camera  1300  could generate an expected field of view based on the direction that camera  60  is facing and common characteristics of cameras. For another example, if only the location of camera  60  is provided, remote camera  1300  may use multiple location indications over time to determine a direction of travel of camera  60  and generate the direction that camera  60  is facing based on the direction of travel information and the assumption that camera  60  is facing forwards. For yet another example, camera  60  may only provide an indication that camera  60  is in some proximity to remote camera  1300 , such as by being in range of a WiFi signal between camera  60  and remote camera  1300 , but not provide location or other indications. In general, remote camera  1300  may perform a variety of computations in association with determining and selecting the field of view to be used by remote camera  1300  in association with camera  60  or belt  10 . 
     In various embodiments, remote camera  1300  may also have the ability to perform one or more of threat recognition, facial recognition, object recognition, thermal imaging, heat detection, sound detection, gunshot recognition, license plate recognition, character recognition and/or motion detection, and remote camera  1300  is able to use the criteria in combination with any and/or all of such functionality to determine what area should be in the field of view of remote camera  1300 . For example, remote camera  1300  may be aware of camera  60  and/or belt  10 , such as having been provided the location of camera  60 , and use facial recognition to determine that a particular person in remote camera&#39;s  1300  field of view is believed to be dangerous follow that particular person so that that particular person remains in the field of view of remote camera  1300 . In addition, remote camera  1300  may be capable of generating notifications or alerts that are sent to belt  10  or components of belt  10  to alert the wearer of belt  10  of various situations, such as a threatening person nearby. For example, remote camera  1300  could use plate recognition to determine that the vehicle in  FIG. 13  is known to be stolen and alert the wearer of belt  10  and camera  60  that the vehicle coming from behind the wearer is stolen. In addition, remote camera  1300 , based on the criteria, may rotate or pivot to keep the stolen vehicle in view. 
     In addition, in various embodiments, remote camera  1300  may receive status information from belt  10 . For example, microprocessor  12  may receive status information associated with the wearer of belt  10  that can be communicated over the external data communications system to remote camera  1300  or a third-party, such as a police agency. The status information may include any or all of the type of public safety call that the wearer of belt  10  is on, biometric information about the wearer, information received from components attached to belt  10 , such as flashlight component  46  and holster component  40 , and location information from GPS component  16 . The criteria of remote camera  1300  may indicate various actions to take based on the status information. For example, the criteria may indicate that when the wearer of belt  10  is on a normal traffic stop type call, that the field of view of remote camera  1300  should include the wearer and that if the facial recognition capability of remote camera  1300  indicates that if a wanted person is recognized near the wearer of belt  10 , that the field of view of remote camera  1300  should change to include the wanted person in priority over viewing the wearer of belt  10 ; however, if the wearer of belt  10  is on a hostage situation type call, then the remote camera  1300  should maintain the wearer of belt  10  or other indicated area in the field of view as a priority over placing the wanted person in the remote camera&#39;s  1300  field of view. 
     Further, in various embodiments where remote camera  1300  is under the control of an external computer control system, such as a server maintained by a police department, the remote camera  1300  may take actions as directed or requested by the external computer control system. More specifically, remote camera  1300  may have limited processing capabilities and be reliant, in whole or in part, on the external computer control system, such as a server at a public safety agency, to provide commands and direction to remote camera  1300 . For example, many traffic cameras have little to no independent processing capability and rely on an external computer control system to direct their operations, such as pan, tilt and zoom. 
     In embodiments where remote camera  1300  is controlled by the external computer control system, the external computer control system may perform any of the previously described functionality associated with remote camera  1300 , and where camera  60 , belt  10  and other components send information and indications to the external computer control system instead of, or in addition to, remote camera  1300 . More specifically, the external computer control system may also have associated criteria related to one or more cameras that the external computer control system can use in association with information and indications from camera  60 , belt  10  and other components to determine what area should be in the field of view of particular remote cameras  1300 . Also, the external computer control system may perform threat recognition, facial recognition, object recognition, thermal imaging, heat detection, sound detection, gunshot recognition, license plate recognition, character recognition and/or motion detection as previously described in association with remote camera  1300 . Further, distinct remote cameras  1300  may take different actions as directed by the external computer control system. 
     In addition, in various embodiments, remote cameras  1300  may perform some processing locally and rely on the external computer control system for other processing. For example, remote camera  1300  may use criteria stored locally to determine what area to cover with remote camera&#39;s  1300  field of view based on the location of camera  60 , but rely on the external computer control system to perform facial recognition and override remote camera&#39;s  1300  determination of what area to cover in remote camera&#39;s  1300  field of view when the external computer control system determines that the remote camera&#39;s current field of view should be changed. Alternatively, other suitable distributions of functionality between remote camera  1300  and the external computer control system may be used as suitable for particular applications. 
     Also, in various embodiments, camera  60  and belt  10  may communicate with remote camera  1300  via an external data communications network such as the Internet and/or via the external computer control system and/or some combination thereof. For example, camera  60  and belt  10  may use a cellular communications network to communicate directly to remote camera  1300  or camera  60  and belt  10  may use a cellular communications network to communicate with the external computer control system which may then relay information to remote cameras  1300 . Alternatively, other suitable data communications techniques may be used. 
     Also, in various embodiments, microprocessor  12  and the wireless data communications system  14  further include the capability to communicate with a radio frequency based public safety communications system, such as by using police, fire and emergency radio frequency communications protocols. In this embodiment, microprocessor  12  may perform voice and/or sound recognition on communications from the wearer of belt  10  and take various actions in response to the voice and/or sound recognition. For example, microprocessor  12  could determine that a police officer is calling for help and communicate a request to remote camera  1300  and/or an external computer control system to record the area around the wearer of belt  10 . In addition, remote camera  1300  and/or the external computer control system may receive the results of the voice and/or sound recognition by microprocessor  12  and make use of such results. For example, remote camera  1300  and/or the external computer control system could coordinate or determine preferred fields of view for remote cameras  1300  in order to improve the collection of video information around the wearer of belt  10 . 
       FIGS. 6-8  provide further illustrations of drone technology  91  incorporated as a component of the smart belt  10  for a public safety officer. Three types of drone technology  91  are contemplated herein in various embodiments, which may be combined: (1) a drone that is mounted to the public safety vehicle, (2) a drone that is mounted or holstered on the smart belt  10  or otherwise carried by a human, and (3) a drone that can be launched separately from the public safety vehicle and officer. The vehicle-mounted drone can be located in the interior or on the exterior of the vehicle. When an officer is in chase with a suspect vehicle, he/she can launch a drone after the suspect vehicle is tagged with a tracking device  100 . The tracking device  100  can be planted by (1) placing a strip containing one or more tracking devices  100  in the path of the suspect vehicle, which allows one or more tracking devices  100  to be embedded in its tire(s) or otherwise attached to the suspect vehicle such as a strip of magnetic and/or electro-magnetic devices and/or a micro marker, nano device, or GPS device that would be attracted to and attachable to the metallic undercarriage (or other portions) of a vehicle; (2) placing a planting device in the path of the suspect vehicle that shoots or otherwise propels a tracker device  100  at the undercarriage of the suspect vehicle as it approaches or drives over the planting device, (3) shooting a tracking device  100  onto the suspect vehicle by a special weapon used by other officers as the suspect vehicle passes by, and (4) dropping or propelling a tracking device  100  at a vehicle from above, such as a tracking device dispenser mounted at an automated or manned tollbooth, a traffic control device (such as a traffic light), an aircraft, drone, or an overhead directional sign (such as a freeway directional sign), as shown in  FIGS. 9-11 . The smart belt may include a holster to hold the tracking device special weapon. Similarly, an alternate type weapon  42  may be used to launch or propel a tracking device such as a micro marker, nano device, or GPS device onto a suspect running on foot from the officers in order to tag that suspect and allow tracking of that suspect. In both scenarios the drone may be launched and pursue the suspect who is on foot or in a vehicle using either visual tracking by a user in control of the drone or data supplied to the drone by the attached device or marker, while transmitting GPS location data and live video feed to the pursuing officers (also on foot or in a vehicle) via the video display glasses  52  worn by the officers. The microprocessor  12  in the smart belt  10  remains in wireless communication with drone to send launch, navigation, and operational commands, receive video data, status data, and location data, and transmit other data bi-directionally. 
     In various embodiments drone technology  91  may comprise submersible, wheeled and/or flyable/airborne type drone units. For example, a lifeguard may have a waterproof version of smart belt  10  with underwater suitable goggles where the lifeguard deploys a small submersible drone. The small submersible drone then searches for movement under the waves in the area of a drowning victim to pinpoints or narrow down the location of a drowning victim. The submersible drone then sends various information to the underwater googles, such as direction commands to a graphical display of the watertight goggles (for example, a simple directional marker to turn left or right or a more complex display such as a dot on a map), GPS coordinates of the possible or general location of the drowning victim, and/or video and/or audio data. The drone could also sound an audible noise or disperse a dye, balloons or other marker in the water to mark the location. 
     For another example, a police officer at the scene of a hostage situation or a potentially burglarized building may deploy a drone to either fly or move via wheels throughout the location while drone is in wireless communication with the glasses via the smart belt, such as to communicate video and/or audio information from the drone to the police officer. Similarly, fire department personnel may use the drone to check for trapped people in a building that is on fire or to determine whether a fire fighter can enter an area. For example, a drone deployed in a burning building can look for heat signatures consistent with humans or pets, or sounds of distress and cries for help or heat sources to allow fire personnel to be more effective and safe while battling the fires. 
     In various embodiments, drone technology  91  may be a wheeled, flyable and/or submersible drone equipped with one or more of (a) a dispenser to deploy flares, beanbag rounds, pepper spray and/or other lethal or less-than-lethal items; (b) a delivery capability to provide first aid equipment, ammunition, communication devices, etc.; (c) a camera to allow inspection of a vehicle or location, such as a pipeline or utility system, from a safe distance, to support facial recognition (as described elsewhere); (d) a chemical detection capability to detect chemicals, drugs, particulates, odors, smoke, etc. to allow generation of related information and alerts, such as based on an analysis performed by microprocessor  12  or drone technology  91  itself; and/or (e) a bomb detection capability to allow generation of related information and alerts. In addition, drone technology  91  could be equipped with a motion sensor. The motion sensor equipped drone could then be placed at a location where entry is prohibited or monitored, such as outside a prison yard or entry to a secured location. When the motion detector equipped drone detects a person or movement in the monitored or prohibited area (for example, a person running from a building, going into a building, going over a fence or running from a detention facility) the drone self-launches, alerts a user of the smart belt or another person, and begins pursuit of the detected person while sending data back to the goggles via the smart belt. For example, such a motioned detector equipped drone could protect a public safety vehicle while a police officer is away or allow an officer to monitor multiple locations places at once, such as the front and the back entrance of a suspect&#39;s residence. 
     In one embodiment, the tracking device is an active tracking device that emits an electromagnetic signal that is receivable by a drone or other receiver device. For example, the tracking device could emit a radio beacon that allows a drone or other receiver to determine the direction and/or distance of the signal. This type of tracking device could be relatively inexpensive and have a longer duration due to the simplicity of the transmitter and electronics. An appropriately configured drone may be able to automatically track this type of radio beacon tracking device. In another embodiment, the tracking device is an active tracking device that transmits a GPS signal to a receiver, such as the drone, a satellite, a specialized receiver or a cellular phone tower receiver, that indicates the position of the tracking device. This type of tracking device would allow the receiver to track the location of the device independently of the location of the receiver and the tracking device. In yet another embodiment, the tracking device could be passive, such as a light emitter or a substance, such as paint or dye, which is highly visible under certain conditions. For example, a passive light emitter could emit non-visible or visible light that is trackable via a camera on a drone, the human eye and/or a camera, such as a traffic camera, sensitive that particular color of light. For another example, a high visibility paint could be used, or a paint that reflects strongly in the non-visible spectrum, such as the infra-red spectrum or ultraviolet spectrum, which would allow a pursuing officer, helicopter or drone to manually or automatically track the tracking device and thus the suspect. One or more of the tracking devices could be combined. For example, in a high-density such as New York City, GPS devices may be unreliable due to the inability of the tracking device to locate satellites while between tall buildings, and the tracking device could have the GPS transmitter supplemented with the radio beacon transmitter to allow a drone hovering above the buildings to track the beacon even while the GPS signal was inaccurate. Continuing this example, the tracker could also emit a strong infra-red light, which would allow a drone or a human controlled helicopter (or even a human sitting in a control center watching traffic cameras that are sensitive to infra-red light) to detect and follow the light source if a building is blocking both the GPS signal and the radio beacon signal. 
     In various embodiments, drone technology  91  uses a drone that may be autonomous, semi-autonomous, under manual control or has some combination thereof. In general, an autonomous drone would be able to automatically determine paths and avoid obstacles that would prevent the drone from reaching or finding the tracking device. In general, a semi-autonomous drone may have some ability to determine paths, avoid obstacles and/or find the tracking device, but requires assistance from a human operator in one or more situations. In general, a drone under manual control requires a human to perform all or virtually all of the drone&#39;s navigation. A particular drone may be autonomous for certain functions, semi-autonomous for certain other functions and require manual control in yet other functions. For example, a drone attachable to the smart belt may be launched by the human carrying it, fly up to a certain height, and then require manual control from a different human or a remote computer in order to navigate to the tracking device. For another example, a large drone that can be launched from a vehicle may automatically begin tracking the tracking device and communicating other information, such as speed and a video feed. 
     In various embodiments, drone technology  91  may include one or more of a video generation system, such as a camera, a system for moving the video generation system, and the ability to communicate video data via a wireless communication system to a remote location. Drone technology  91  may also be attachable to the smart belt  10  or can be carried by a human, such as a drone in a backpack. In this embodiment, drone technology  91  may be chargeable via the smart belt  10 , or other carrying device such as a backpack. 
     In various embodiments, drone technology  91  may be used to track a suspect, such as a suspect fleeing from a pursuing public safety official, such as a police officer. Drone technology  91  may also be used for search and rescue, reconnaissance, surveillance and other activities. 
     The microprocessor is configured to analyze the captured video images to determine a license plate identifier and/or suspect identification (using facial recognition), and determine one or more addresses associated with the license plate and/or suspect. A “smart mapping” system may be part of or in communication with the smart belt  10  to compare the license plate information of the suspect vehicle or the name of the suspect to determine known addresses for the suspect and/or information, such as addresses, associated with known associates of the suspect. These can be addresses of residence, family members&#39; homes, close associates homes, etc. that the suspect may target. These known addresses can be used to plot out anticipated paths from the current location of the suspect to create a “forecast” so that wearers may attempt to intercept the suspect. In addition, the “smart mapping” component may compare the location of the fleeing suspect or vehicle to a database of known offenders or persons of interest known to reside in or frequent the area and present a listing of possible identities and related information to the wearer. The “smart mapping” database may be contained on the drone itself, on the smart belt, on a computing device housed within a vehicle wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt or drone, or maintained at a remote location and wirelessly connected to one or more of the drone, the smart belt or the computing device housed within a vehicle wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt or drone. Also, in the absence of knowledge of the identity of the tracked individual, such as a suspect, the addresses for known criminals in the area may be presented. Further, these known criminals may be further filtered by known characteristics of the tracked individual to provide a higher probability of presenting information relevant to the tracked individual, such as race, body characteristics such as height, weight, facial features, tattoos, scars, etc., and similar crimes or activities, such as robbery or drunk driving. 
     The drones can also be launched from the vehicle and/or smart belt to be used for search and rescue missions, reconnaissance, surveillance purposes, etc. 
     In addition, the smart belt  10  worn by one person may be wired or wirelessly connected to other smart belts worn by other personnel to exchange data and information between smart belts based on proximity or other associative parameters pertaining to the wearer such as time of day, function performed, etc. 
     It should be noted that the phrase “wired or wirelessly connected to the smart belt  10 ” used herein means that a component is communicating with the microprocessor  12  and/or one or more other components/subsystems coupled or held in the smart belt  10  via a wired or wireless communication channel. It should also be noted that the sensors disposed within the holders of the smart belt  10  may be implemented by passive and/or active sensors depending on the desired application and functionality. 
     In addition, the headset, audio recording component or the video recording component may be operable to receive audible input commands from the wearer of the smart belt, the audible input being recognized and interpreted by a software component to allow for voice control of the smart belt or its externally or internally connected components, by the wearer of the smart belt. 
     The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth below with particularity in the appended claims. However, modifications, variations, and changes to the exemplary embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the system and method described herein thus encompasses such modifications, variations, and changes and are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein.