Logo

CHOPIN logoThe logo of CHOPIN R&D project is depicted on the left. The shape of the patch is a shield which represents protection from danger.  The shield's background is white, representing that first responders must be of good character and temperate in habits. The color red symbolizes the courage of men and women who face the danger in catastrophic incidents to save the life of other people. The shield is a symbol of protection,  character, and strength. The group of people holding hands in its center represents cooperation in a human team and the mobile robots in the bottom a cooperative robotic team - the project aims at studying the cooperation between human and robotic teams. On the top, there is an arc with the project's acronym. On the left and on the right, symbols of different types of first responders are represented: on the upper-left firefighters; on the bottom-left paramedics; on the upper-right police; and on the bottom-right military forces. On the bottom of the shiled, there is the international distinctive sign of civil defense, which usually assumes the coordination of the effort of different groups of first responders during response missions to catastrophic incidents.

The shape of the logo (the shield) is inspired in the Maltese cross, which is known around the world as a symbol of the fire service. It is often seen painted on fire trucks, on the clothing of firefighters, depicted on firefighters badges, and is quite often the chosen design of firefighter tattoos. The Maltese cross has its origins going back to the era of the Crusades and is named after the island of Malta which came to be the home of the Knights of St. John. The Knights of St. John existed during the 11th and 12th centuries. To help identify friend from foe during the fighting, they needed a symbol that could be used to quickly and easily identify themselves. They chose the Cross of Calvary - which would later be known as the Maltese cross - as their symbol because the Crusades were battles fought for a holy cause. During these battles, the enemies of the knights commonly used fire as a weapon. It was not uncommon for a Knight to have to risk his own life to extinguish a fire or rescue a comrade. Because of their ability to fight fires, and the pride and honor they took in the care of their sick and injured, the Maltese cross evolved into a fitting symbol of the modern fire service.  The cross has since come to represent the principles of charity, loyalty, gallantry, generosity to friend and foe, dexterity of service, and protection of the weak.