Humans´ Critical Role in Smart Systems: A Smart Firefighting Example

Smart systems are everywhere. They have the unique ability to optimize their performance under a variety of inputs and recover quickly from a wide variety of disturbances. This ability depends on both the cognitive and physical capabilities of such systems. Currently available cyber technologies have dramatically increased the cognitive capabilities of machines. As these technologies advance, so will those cognitive capabilities. This means that humans and machines can work more collaboratively, as joint partners, to execute those capabilities. Here, a system is described that takes advantage of such technologies to deploy a smart firefighting approach.