Fig 11 - uploaded by Jinguo Liu
Content may be subject to copyright.
Search and rescue robots used in World Trade Center’s rescue operation (a) Micro VGTV; (b) Micro Traces; (c) Mini Traces; (d) Talon; (e) SOLEM; (f) Urbot; (g) Packbot; (h) ATRV
Source publication
Frequent natural disasters and man-made catastrophes have threatened the safety of citizens and have attracted much more attention. The rescue mission under disaster environment is very complicated and dangerous for a rescue team. Search and rescue (SAR) robots can not only improve the efficiency of rescue operations but also reduce the casualty of...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... the 9.11 attack, search and rescue robotic technology has attracted increasing attention in USA. The rescue operation at the 9.11 attack is considered to be the first appli cation for search and rescue robots. Lieutenant Colonel John Blitch (ret.), the director of the Center for Robotic Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR), requested a team of robot experts and suppliers to assist in search efforts at the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster site. New York City’s Office of Emer- gency Management directly requested CRASAR’s response. After several hours of the terrorist attack, CRASAR quickly responded to the WTC disaster. This is the first known application of robots for USAR. Eight types of the rescue robots are shown in Fig. 11 [11]. As shown in Fig. 11(a)–(c), some types of robots from Inuktun are Micro VGTV, Micro Traces and Mini Traces, respectively. They have been mostly used in ruins for their small size and light weight. Among them, Micro VGTV and Micro Traces were proved to be more efficient than Mini Trace in constrained space. Foster-Miller companies also used the three robots: Talon, SOLEM and Urbot shown in Fig. 11(d)–(f). With the better sensor and load-carrying capacity, they are larger than the robots from Inuktun because they have the NASA’s military background. SOLEM was used in ruins. Talon and Urbot were used for the inspection in interior buildings. The iRobot also used two types of robots in rescue operations: Packbot and ATRV. The tracked Packbot had remarkable traction and self-adjustment ability. The big ATRV had a large wheeled mobile platform. In USA, a lot of university research centers, national research institutes and companies also conduct researches on search and rescue robots. In Center for Robotic Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR), a non-profit research center based at the University of Florida that is led by Robin Murphy CRASAR, has developed many robotic technologies to assist search and rescue teams [12]. As shown in Fig. 12(a), the rescue robot Bujold is equipped with medical sensors. The tracked robot has high mobility and excellent detection capabilities. Meanwhile, the robot can collect information such as survivors, physical information and environmental information and then transmit them outside. The SCOUT robot in Fig. 12(b) is developed by Stoeter et al. from the University of Minnesota [13]. With simple sensor modules, locomotion unit, and specialized operational tool, it can be used for multi-robot’s parallel information collection. The robot has flexible protection wheels on outer side. With two inspection/locomotion arms, TerminatorBot, the physical structure of which is very cleverly designed as shown ...
Similar publications
This paper reports stick–slip behaviors of Indian gabbro as studied using a new large-scale biaxial friction apparatus, built in the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED), Tsukuba, Japan. The apparatus consists of the existing shaking table as the shear-loading device up to 3,600 kN, the main frame for holding...
Citations
... However, one of the main challenges still lies in designing effective strategies to control robots crossing obstacles safely and effectively. Tracked robots equipped with four flippers exhibit exceptional terrain traversal capabilities, facilitating efficient navigation through uneven terrain during USAR missions [2,3]. While adding multiple flippers enhances the traversability of the tracked robots, it also introduces a high degree of control freedom. ...
Tracked robots equipped with flippers and LiDAR sensors have been widely used in urban search and rescue. Achieving autonomous flipper control is important in enhancing the intelligent operation of tracked robots within complex urban rescuing environments. While existing methods mainly rely on the heavy work of manual modeling, this paper proposes a novel Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) approach named ICM-D3QN for autonomous flipper control in complex urban rescuing terrains. Specifically, ICM-D3QN comprises three modules: a feature extraction and fusion module for extracting and integrating robot and environment state features, a curiosity module for enhancing the efficiency of flipper action exploration, and a deep Q-Learning control module for learning robot-control policy. In addition, a specific reward function is designed, considering both safety and passing smoothness. Furthermore, simulation environments are constructed using the Pymunk and Gazebo physics engine for training and testing. The learned policy is then directly transferred to our self-designed tracked robot in a real-world environment for quantitative analysis. The consistently high performance of the proposed approach validates its superiority over hand-crafted control models and state-of-the-art DRL strategies for crossing complex terrains.
... The application of robotics in mining industry and especially in missions related to rescue and search of the victims of an accident victims is well established and constantly developed since the beginning of the third-millennium [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. The use of UAVs as a support for the search and rescue (SAR) operations has been presented among others in [32], where some significant considerations are included, such as energy limitations, the quality of sensors, and the exchange of information between UAVs and rescue teams. ...
The possibility of the application of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in search and rescue activities in a deep underground mine has been investigated. In the presented case study, a UAV is searching for a lost or injured human who is able to call for help but is not able to move or use any communication device. A UAV capturing acoustic data while flying through underground corridors is used. The acoustic signal is very noisy since during the flight the UAV contributes high-energetic emission. The main goal of the paper is to present an automatic signal processing procedure for detection of a specific sound (supposed to contain voice activity) in presence of heavy, time-varying noise from UAV. The proposed acoustic signal processing technique is based on time-frequency representation and Euclidean distance measurement between reference spectrum (UAV noise only) and captured data. As both the UAV and “injured” person were equipped with synchronized microphones during the experiment, validation has been performed. Two experiments carried out in lab conditions, as well as one in an underground mine, provided very satisfactory results.
... What had only been an ambitious vision and remained a prototype struggling with limited computational power as well as other technical problems (e.g., supplying a sufficient amount of energy for prolonged operation while maintaining a relatively light and mobile form) started blooming after the first ever reported usage of robotics for urban search and rescue-the World Trade Center disaster-related operations [9,10]. ...
Extraction of raw materials, especially in extremely harsh underground mine conditions, is irrevocably associated with high risk and probability of accidents. Natural hazards, the use of heavy-duty machines, and other technologies, even if all perfectly organized, may result in an accident. In such critical situations, rescue actions may require advanced technologies as autonomous mobile robot, various sensory system including gas detector, infrared thermography, image acquisition, advanced analytics, etc. In the paper, we describe several scenarios related to rescue action in underground mines with the assumption that searching for sufferers should be done considering potential hazards such as seismic, gas, high temperature, etc. Thus, possibilities of rescue team activities in such areas may be highly risky. This work reports the results of testing of a UGV robotic system in an underground mine developed in the frame of the AMICOS project. The system consists of UGV with a sensory system and image processing module that are based on an adaptation of You Only Look Once (YOLO) and Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) algorithms. The experiment was very successful; human detection efficiency was very promising. Future work will be related to test the AMICOS technology in deep copper ore mines.
... The constant increase in natural catastrophic events such as earthquakes, fires, and hurricanes has pushed research towards the development of robotic devices capable of performing patrolling and rescue tasks, as discussed, for example, in References [1,2]. BIGDOG [3], Momaro [4], DOGGO [5], and Mini-Mini Cheetah [6] are valuable design examples within the rich literature on the topic. ...
... Inspection and rescue tasks are characterized by several design requirements and constraints, which are briefly outlined, for example, in References [1,2]. Accordingly, it is fundamental to undergo a systematic design approach for being able to fulfil the expectations and needs of specific application tasks. ...
This paper outlines the design process for achieving a novel four-legged robot for exploration and rescue tasks. This application is also intended as an educational mean for masters’ students aiming at gaining skills in designing and operating a complex mechatronic system. The design process starts with an analysis of the desired locomotion and definition of the main requirements and constraints. Then, the paper focuses on the key design challenges, including analytical/numerical modeling and simulations of kinematic and dynamic performances. Specific attention is addressed to the manufacturing of a proof-of-concept prototype, including mechanical and control hardware, as well as the development of the needed software for an autonomous operation. Preliminary tests were carried out, to validate the main features required by the final prototype, to prove its feasibility and user-friendliness, as well as the effectiveness of this complex mechatronic design task for successfully engaging students towards learning complex theoretical, numerical, and practical skills.
... However, each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, voice is not effective when the rescue scene is very noisy due to different machines operating [39]. Other modalities work well in noisy environments, but they require time to process and put extra mental workload on rescue workers [29]. ...
An experiment is presented to investigate whether there is consensus in mapping emotions to messages/situations in urban search and rescue scenarios, where efficiency and effectiveness of interactions are key to success. We studied mappings between 10 specific messages, presented in two different communication styles, reflecting common situations that might happen during search and rescue missions, and the emotions exhibited by robots in those situations. The data was obtained through a Mechanical Turk study with 78 participants. Our findings support the feasibility of using emotions as an additional communication channel to improve multi-modal human-robot interaction for urban search and rescue robots, and suggests that these mappings are robust, i.e. are not affected by the robot's communication style.
... Many kinds of damage happened in worldwide annually and those disasters can cause a large area of buildings collapsed and casualties. According to the time of happening, disaster relief can be divided into three stages —before the disaster, disaster relief and post-disaster relief [1]. But the complexity of the relief phase, risk and urgency brought great difficulty to rescue work. ...
... Terrestrial mobile robots mainly include wheeled, tracked, legged, hybrid, snake, and spherical robots [1][2] . Even though each configuration type has its unique adaptability, and locomotion modes, a constant structure can"t adapt to comprehensive complex environments and execute the requirements of multiple functions and tasks [3][4] . ...
Lattice modular robots possess diversity actuation methods, such as electric telescopic rod, gear rack, magnet, robot arm, etc. The researches on lattice modular robots mainly focus on their hardware descriptions and reconfiguration algorithms. Meanwhile, their design architectures and actuation methods perform slow telescopic and moving speeds, relative low actuation force verse weight ratio, and without internal space to carry objects. To improve the mechanical performance and reveal the locomotion and reconfiguration binary essences of the lattice modular robots, a novel cube-shaped, frame-like, pneumatic-based reconfigurable robot module called pneumatic expandable cube (PE-Cube) is proposed. The three-dimensional (3D) expanding construction and omni-directional rolling analysis of the constructed robots are the main focuses. The PE-Cube with three degrees of freedom (DoFs) is assembled by replacing the twelve edges of a cube with pneumatic cylinders. The proposed symmetric construction condition makes the constructed robots possess the same properties in each supporting state, and a binary control strategy cooperated with binary actuator (pneumatic cylinder) is directly adopted to control the PE-Cube. Taking an eight PE-Cube modules' construction as example, its dynamic rolling simulation, static rolling condition, and turning gait are illustrated and discussed. To testify telescopic synchronization, respond speed, locomotion feasibility, and repeatability and reliability of hardware system, an experimental pneumatic-based robotic system is built and the rolling and turning experiments of the eight PE-Cube modules' construction are carried out. As an extension, the locomotion feasibility of a thirty-two PE-Cube modules' construction is analyzed and proved, including dynamic rolling simulation, static rolling condition, and dynamic analysis in free tipping process. The proposed PE-Cube module, construction method, and locomotion analysis enrich the family of the lattice modular robot and provide the instruction to design the lattice modular robot. ©, 2015, Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society. All right reserved.
Emotions can provide a natural communication modality to complement the existing multi-modal capabilities of social robots, such as text and speech, in many domains. We conducted three online studies with 112, 223, and 151 participants, respectively, to investigate the benefits of using emotions as a communication modality for Search And Rescue (SAR) robots. In the first experiment, we investigated the feasibility of conveying information related to SAR situations through robots' emotions, resulting in mappings from SAR situations to emotions. The second study used Affect Control Theory as an alternative method for deriving such mappings. This method is more flexible, e.g. allows for such mappings to be adjusted for different emotion sets and different robots. In the third experiment, we created affective expressions for an appearance-constrained outdoor field research robot using LEDs as an expressive channel. Using these affective expressions in a variety of simulated SAR situations, we evaluated the effect of these expressions on participants' (in the role rescue workers) situational awareness. Our results and proposed methodologies (a) provide insights on how emotions could help conveying messages in the context of SAR, and (b) show evidence on the effectiveness of adding emotions as a communication modality in a (simulated) SAR communication context.
Purpose
This study aims to make the mobile robot better adapt to the patrol and monitoring in industrial field substation area, a multi-mode mobile carrying mechanism which can carrying data collector, camera and other equipment is designed.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the geometric axis analysis and interference analysis, the multi-mode mobile carrying mechanism is designed. The screw constraint topological theory and zero-moment point (ZMP) theory is used to kinematic analysis in mechanism mobile process.
Findings
The mobile carrying mechanism can realize the folding movement, hexagonal rolling and quadrilateral rolling movement. A series of simulation and prototype experiment results verify the feasibility and actual error of the design analysis.
Originality/value
The work of this paper provides a mobile carrying mechanism for carrying different data acquisition equipment and surveillance camera in industrial field substation zone. It has excellent folding performance and mobile capabilities. The mobile carrying mechanism reduces the workload of human being and injuries suffered by workers in industrial substation area.
Locomotion and manipulation optimization is essential for the performance of tetrahedron-based mobile mechanism. Most of current optimization methods are constrained to the continuous actuated system with limited degree of freedom (DOF), which is infeasible to the optimization of binary control multi-DOF system. A novel optimization method using for the locomotion and manipulation of an 18 DOFs tetrahedron-based mechanism called 5-TET is proposed. The optimization objective is to realize the required locomotion by executing the least number of struts. Binary control strategy is adopted, and forward kinematic and tipping dynamic analyses are performed, respectively. Based on a developed genetic algorithm (GA), the optimal number of alternative struts between two adjacent steps is obtained as 5. Finally, a potential manipulation function is proposed, and the energy consumption comparison between optimal 5-TET and the traditional wheeled robot is carried out. The presented locomotion optimization and manipulation planning enrich the research of tetrahedron-based mechanisms and provide the instruction to the successive locomotion and operation planning of multi-DOF mechanisms.
