Search

Rescue operations taking place in disaster settings can be fraught with ethical challenges. Further ethical challenges will likely be introduced by the use of robots, which are expected to soon become commonplace in search and rescue missions and disaster recovery efforts. To help focus timely reflection on the ethical considerations associated with the deployment of rescue robots, we have conducted a scoping review exploring the relevant academic literature following a widely recognized scoping review framework. Of the 429 papers identified by the first screening, six fulfilled the selection criteria of our literature review. Quantitative data synthesis showed that a subset of the papers includes a qualitative experimental exploration of the ethical issues at hand, with workshops involving both experts and potential users. Most use simulations or scenarios to anticipate the ethical implications and other consequences of using robots in search and rescue missions. Qualitative text analysis identified seven core ethically relevant themes: fairness and discrimination; false or excessive expectations; labor replacement; privacy; responsibility; safety; trust. Our results suggest that the literature on ethics in rescue robotics is scant and disparate, but the papers identified uniformly endorsed a proactive approach to handling the ethical concerns associated with the use of robots in disaster scenarios.

As the basic system of the rescue robot, the SLAM system largely determines whether the rescue robot can complete the rescue mission. Although the current 2D Lidar-based SLAM algorithm, including its application in indoor rescue environment, has achieved much success, the evaluation of SLAM algorithms combined with path planning for indoor rescue has rarely been studied. This paper studies mapping and path planning for mobile robots in an indoor rescue environment. Combined with path planning algorithm, this paper analyzes the applicability of three SLAM algorithms (GMapping algorithm, Hector-SLAM algorithm, and Cartographer algorithm) in indoor rescue environment. Real-time path planning is studied to test the mapping results. To balance path optimality and obstacle avoidance, A ∗ algorithm is used for global path planning, and DWA algorithm is adopted for local path planning. Experimental results validate the SLAM and path planning algorithms in simulated, emulated, and competition rescue environments, respectively. Finally, the results of this paper may facilitate researchers quickly and clearly selecting appropriate algorithms to build SLAM systems according to their own demands.

Rescue work after a coal mine accident is fraught with challenges and dangers. Considering the safety of rescue workers and the urgency of a rescue mission, it is necessary to use coal mine rescue robots to perform the tasks of environmental detection and rescue. As a key part of the robot sensing system, a visual sensor can provide much information about a scene. Among vision sensor types, binocular vision has the advantages of being noncontact and passive, and it is the key technology for a robot to acquire obstacle information and reconstruct a three-dimensional scene. Therefore, coal mine rescue robots based on binocular vision have become a popular research topic in the field of mine safety. First, the research status of camera calibration and stereo vision matching for binocular vision is systematically introduced in this paper. Second, the latest research progress on coal mine rescue robots based on binocular vision is reviewed from the perspective of technological applications and development. Finally, the technical challenges and future development trends of binocular vision in coal mine rescue robots are described.

Background: The application of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in disaster relief is increasingly widespread, but it is still unclear whether ICT can reduce casualties and economic losses in disaster response phase. Methods: We searched studies in the databases of Scopus, EI, MEDLINE and EMBASE from Jan 1, 1990, to Mar 22, 2019. Excel 2016 and VOSviewer (version 1.6.11) were used to analyze the extracted data and visualize the network diagram. Results: We included 169 eligible articles. The number of ICTs-related disaster-relief articles published annually shows an overall trend of growth since 1990. The United States has the greatest influence in this field. The 169 articles reported twenty-four technologies and the top three reported most frequently were remote sensing, social media, and geographic information system (GIS). The main roles of ICTs in natural disaster rescue included information dissemination, post-disaster image collection and damage assessment. However, of the 169 articles, only five reported that ICTs reduced casualties or economic losses in disaster response phase, two concluded that rescue robot was ineffective in mudslide rescue, and the remaining 162 (95.86%) did not evaluate the effect of ICTs on the rescue. Conclusion: ICTs have the potential to reduce casualties and economic losses, but some technologies are not applicable to all rescue scenarios. In addition, most studies did not pay attention to the effect of technology on the rescue.

In this paper, we propose a semantic simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) framework for rescue robots, and report its use in navigation tasks. Our framework can generate not only geometric maps in the form of dense point-clouds but also corresponding point-wise semantic labels generated by a semantic segmentation convolutional neural network (CNN). The semantic segmentation CNN is trained using our RGB-D dataset of the RoboCup Rescue-Robot-League (RRL) competition environment. With the help of semantic information, the rescue robot can identify different types of terrains in a complex environment, so as to avoid specific obstacles or to choose routes with better traversability. To reduce the segmentation noise, our approach utilizes depth images to perform filtering on the segmentation results of each frame. The overall semantic map is then further improved in the point-cloud voxels. By accumulating results of multiple frames in the voxels, semantic maps with consistent semantic labels are obtained. To show the advantage of having a semantic map of the environment, we report a case study of how the semantic map can be utilized in a navigation task to reduce the arrival time while ensuring safety. The experimental result shows that our semantic SLAM framework is capable of generating a dense semantic map for the complex RRL competition environment, with which the arrival time of the navigation time is effectively reduced.

Search is an essential technology for rescue and other mobile robot applications. Many robotic search and rescue systems rely on teleoperation. One of the key problems in search tasks is how to cover the search space efficiently. Search is also central to humans’ daily activities. This paper analyzes and models human search behavior using data from actual teleoperation experiments. The analysis of the experimental data uses a novel technique to decompose search data, based on structure learning and K-means clustering. The analysis explores three hypotheses: (1) humans are able to solve a complex search task by breaking it up into smaller tasks, (2) humans consider both coverage and motion cost, and (3) robots can outperform humans in search problems. The enhanced understanding of human search strategies can then be applied to the design of human-robot interfaces and search algorithms. The paper describes a technique for augmenting human search. Since the objective functions in search problems are submodular, greedy algorithms can generate near-optimal subgoals. These subgoals then can be used to guide humans in searching. Experiments showed that the humans’ search performance is improved with the subgoals’ assistance.

Introduction. Every year, natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and storms occur around the world and many people die as a result of the devastation. In the relief and rescue operations, many injured people may lose their lives as they remain under the rubble for hours and even days because rescue agents have no access to them. Problem Statement. One of the major problems for rescuers is overcoming and removing obstacles on the path for quick access to injured people. Purpose. To study the process of designing the Arad rescue robot for urban search and rescue (USAR), to define the robot tasks, and to design suitable mechanisms for their fulfillment. The general purpose is to design and to build a rescue robot with a high speed and precision and a low cost in order to better find the injured people under the rubble. Materials and Methods. To complete the design method, CATIA software was used to apply the finite element method for powerful analysis of complicated parts. Also, Solidworks was used to model the mechanisms, where 3D sketch of each component of the robot was generated by means of it. Finally, the components are convened together with controlling hardware. Two central processors are used within the control system of the robot. The director's PC as the master processor and the laptop installed on the robot as the vassal processor. The general design of the robot has been performed using the SOLIDWORK modeling software while to design the robot arm, CATIA software is employed so that the manipulator motion analysis is made in this software in addition to using the software modeling power. In order to pass obstacles and impassable routes, a caterpillar has been used in the robot motion system and also, two arms have been embedded in the front part of the robot to climb obstacles and rugged terrains. Results. In addition to the rotating arm, one skilled arm has been designed for robot to overcome these problems. In addition, the use of sand wheels has forced the robot to increase its ability to travel on different routes. Conclusions. Different national and international competitions have provided an opportunity for this robot to display its capabilities in an environment close to the real conditions. The robot has been awarded with many titles, which testifies to a great success and actual improvements in every aspect. The performance of this design and build has been shown in the Rescue Robots League and appreciated as one of the best designs. Вступ. Щороку стихійні лиха (землетруси, повені, буревії тощо) трапляються по всьому світу та тягнуть за собою загибель багатьох людей. Часто рятувальні місії не можуть вчасно надати допомогу і постраждалі залишаються під завалами тривалий час. Проблематика. Однією з головних проблем для рятувальників є подолання та усунення перешкод для забезпечення швидкого доступу до травмованих людей, які знаходяться під завалами. Мета. Розробити та створити рятувального робота з високою швидкістю та точністю роботи та з низькою вартістю для забезпечення оперативного знаходження та рятування поранених під завалами. Матеріали й методи. Для проектування використано програмне забезпечення CATIA із застосуванням методу кінцевих елементів для потужного аналізу складних деталей; для моделювання механізмів, за допомогою яких створювалися 3D ескізи кожного компонента робота, — програмне забезпечення SOLIDWORKS. В єдину систему компоненти складено з використанням керуючого обладнання. Результати. У системі управління роботом використано два центральних процесори — керівний ПК, як головний процесор, і ноутбук, встановлений на робота, як залежний процесор. Загальну конструкцію робота виконано з використанням програмного забезпечення для моделювання SO LIDWORKS , тоді як для проектування роботи механізму — програмне забезпечення CATIA ATIA . Щоб подолати складні маршрути, в системі руху робота застосовано гусеницю, а в передню частину робота вбудовано дві «руки» для підйому на перешкоди та нерівні місцевості. Окрім руки, яка обертається, розроблено ще одну робочу руку, використання якої дозволило підвищити здатність робота проходити різними маршрутами. Висновки. На національних та міжнародних змаганнях було продемонстровано можливості робота в умовах, близьких до реальних. Розробка отримала багато нагород, що свідчить про успіх та фактичні вдосконалення в кожному аспекті його роботи. Ефективність конструкції робота було доведено в Лізі рятувальних роботів, де розробку було оцінено як одну з найкращих конструкцій.

One of the most challenging and non-trivial tasks in robot-based rescue operations is the Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) sign detection in dangerous operation fields, in order to prevent further unexpected disasters. Each HAZMAT sign has a specific meaning that the rescue robot should detect and interpret to take a safe action, accordingly. Accurate HAZMAT detection and real-time processing are the two most important factors in such robotics applications. Furthermore, the rescue robot should cope with some secondary challenges such as image distortion and restricted CPU and computational resources, embedded in the robot. In this research, we propose a CNN-Based pipeline called DeepHAZMAT for HAZMAT sign detection and segmentation in four steps: (1) Input data volume optimisation before feeding into the CNN network, (2) Application of a YOLO-based structure to collect the required visual information from the hazardous areas, (3) HAZMAT sign segmentation and separation from the background using adaptive GrabCut technique, and (4) Post-processing optimisation using morphological operators and convex hull algorithms. In spite of the utilisation of a very limited CPU and memory resources, the experimental results show the proposed method has successfully maintained a better performance in terms of detection-speed and detection-accuracy, compared to classical and modern state-of-the-art methods.

A traction control system was developed for an autonomous Martian rover using a sliding mode controller. The main inspiration for this project was NASA’s Mars rover, Curiosity, which suffered severe wheel damage due to the lack of an effective traction control system. A control system was sought out to effectively prevent wheel damage, slippage, and soil failure for a Martian rover. It was initially hypothe-sized that a sliding mode controller would be most effective to control the vehicle’s traction. A Simulink model was created with a deformable soil-rigid tire mathematical model in order to simulate the traction control system. The sliding mode controller was tested to be more robust and stable compared to a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller for the rover. The results elaborate the possible applica-tions for this project, which spans across commercial and military rovers, rescue robots, and planetary rov-ers in the private and global space industry.

The frequent nature disasters and man-made catastrophes during the last decades such as earthquake, typhoon, hurricane, radiation and terrorist attack have aroused people’s attention on the importance of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR). Although people have more watchfulness than before, a large number of people still have died in unprofessional rescue due to inadequate equipment and being lack of professional manpower (Erkmen et al, 2002; Casper and Murphy, 2003). Timely searching for victims and subsequent rescue operations from the rubble of collapsed buildings are highly required. Since these operations are very dangerous for human workers and even for trained dogs, autonomous mobile systems are highly needed to help in finding trapped victims. It is a great challenge to develop search and rescue robot that can actually work in the disaster site. The search and rescue robot research includes not only the robotics technology but also the rescue technology and the disaster science. Researches sponsored by the governments and the companies have resulted in the emergence of various kinds of search and rescue robots. Since earthquake happens in Japan frequently, intelligent rescue systems and robotic technology have been expected to mitigate disaster damages, especially after the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. From 2002, “Special Project for Earthquake Disaster Mitigation in Urban Areas” (a 5 years project which also called DDT project) was launched by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, in Japan. Many kinds of search and rescue robots have been developed (Matsuno and Tadokoro, 2004), such as Souryu (Hirose and Fukushima, 2002), Moira (Osuka and Kitajima, 2003), and KOHGA (Tetsushi et al, 2004). In America the rescue robot research has attracted a lot attention too. Several robots were used for the search and detection operation in the collapsed World Trade Center building in September 2001 (Casper and Murphy, 2003). In the University of South Florida, Professor Murphy and her fellow have developed “Bujold”, a kind of search and rescue robot that has the ability of shape shifting and has been equipped with many sensors (Murphy, 2002). In Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute, researchers have developed multi-joint robot for inspection (Wolf et al, 2003). Foster-Miller Company also carries out TALON Robot series for search and rescue mission. In China, a series of search and rescue robots have been developed in recent years (Liu et al, 2007a; Zhang et al, 2006; Zou et al, 25

The presented implementation of an extension to the FFS alignment process using Virtual Scans containing hypothetical mid level real world structures could significantly improve the results for the alignment task. The implementation proves the applicability of the presented concept for the combination of LLSC and MLSC processes. The detection of simple elements (lines, rectangles) based on weak real world assumptions could improve the performance. We are aware that adding domain knowledge certainly enhances the risk of wrong inferences. The proposed system handles errors caused by premature belief in mid level features by implementing the feedback principle, which evaluates a single hypothesis. It is known that single hypothesis systems introducing higher knowledge tend to be not robust. Under certain circumstances this behavior could also be observed in experiments with our system, which needed manual parameter adjustment to steer the influence of the hypotheses. It can be embedded into a multiple hypotheses framework, e.g. particle filters, which will be part of future work. Additional future work also has to determine the (geometric) level of elements which are meaningful enough to improve the alignment process, yet not too dominant. The current elements were chosen to model assumptions of indoor disaster areas. Future research about assumed real world elements will adjust to outdoor disaster settings.

Intelligent rescue systems with required information and robot technology have been predicted to alleviate disaster damages. According to an international survey report, a child is losing his/her life by getting fallen in a borehole which is left uncovered is increasing day by day. The main objective of this paper is to introduce a robot which is named as rescue robot which helps to rescue the life from the borehole safely and the various methods to process this implementation. There are many methods available to rescue the child from borehole in which a human should get into the borehole through an alternate way or by impart the machineries which may cause damage to the child as well as to the land also. To avoid these major problems, this paper introduces a rescue robot which shows the child’s condition inside the borehole lively by video camera as well as the methods to rescue the child from the borehole without causing any damage to the life or land. This robot is designed by using the major components such as Zigbee technology, servo motor, micro controller, video camera and laser.

In this research, we aim to develop a method to recognize three dimensional shape of stacked rubbles each by each for rubble withdrawal rescue robots. Shapes, masses, states of stacked rubbles and so on are various and unknown at disaster areas. Then, grasping positions on rubbles and ways to remove them have to be considered for not breaking down the stacked rubbles and falling them down on victims. Thus, it is necessary to recognize stacked rubble individually and to identify their features, such as shapes, masses, center of gravity positions and so on. In this paper, we propose a 3-D object shape recognition system with a RGB-D sensor and a 3-D reference marker. Moreover, we also propose an extraction method of rubbles using the SSD (Single Shot Multi Box Detector) of the AI (Artificial Intelligence). Experiments were performed to confirm the validity of the proposed method with our constructed prototype of a rescue robot. Through the experiments, it is shown that target stacked rubbles were recognized individually.

Purpose The paper aims to improve the radiation-proof capability of the self-designed mobile robot with a 7-DOF manipulator, enabling the long-playing inspection and intervention under high-dose radiation environment. In this context, gamma-ray irradiation test for electronic components and specific hardness design have also been specifically presented and discussed. Design/methodology/approach The study’s hardness design mainly focuses on shielding protection, distance protection and time protection. Irradiation test is first carried out to investigate irradiation resistance of each electronic module. Then, modular deployment and shielding calculation are completed for the point-type nuclear accidents, respectively, to achieve a robust anti-radiation design scheme. Finally, the field experiment is conducted to validate system effectiveness and good mobility, and operational practices are acquired for the realization of time protection. Findings Coupled with modular redeployment and shielding design, irradiation results illustrate the effectiveness of robotic anti-radiation design. Meanwhile, experiences and reformed measures from the field exercise implement efficient operation and radiological time protection. Research limitations/implications Considering the huge risks of high-dose source exposure, the radiation-resistance of the overall system cannot be verified in the field experiment. Fortunately, irradiation test and modular shielding calculation are conducted as a minimal validation. Practical implications The proposed anti-radiation design methods and the irradiated results can be applied to many other nuclear vehicles and manipulators for the feasible multi-layer protection and excellent mobility. Originality/value A nuclear intervention robot with specific hardness design is presented in detail in this paper. Enlightened by the idea of shielding and distance protection, a large number of electronic modules with multiple types and structures are treated and compared in irradiation experiments, while modular redeployment and retrofitting are completed to reduce irradiated damages. To achieve the effect of time protection, mobility performance and operational practices are discussed and validated in the field experiment based on the mobile system.

Several researchers have revealed the huge potentials of rescue robots in disaster zones. In addition to searching for victims, these intelligent machines are also effective in obtaining useful information from the zones. These functions help to optimize the search and rescue missions. However, the fact that rescue robots have to operate in risky and dangerous environments necessitates the need for such machines to have an efficient motion control system, which can help them to operate autonomously or with minimal human control. This paper reviews the use of reliable controllers in enhancing the sensing capabilities of rescue robots. Huge potential of sensorless sensing method in the rescue robots are highlighted. It is shown that the use of sensorless sensing method enables developer to create simple and cheaper robots for various complex situations. Thus, it is imperative to conduct further studies on how to optimize the operations of robots that lack sensors.

In this paper, a case-supported principle-based behavior paradigm is proposed to help ensure ethical behavior of autonomous machines. We argue that ethically significant behavior of autonomous systems should be guided by explicit ethical principles determined through a consensus of ethicists. Such a consensus is likely to emerge in many areas in which autonomous systems are apt to be deployed and for the actions they are liable to undertake. We believe that this is the case since we are more likely to agree on how machines ought to treat us than on how human beings ought to treat one another. Given such a consensus, particular cases of ethical dilemmas where ethicists agree on the ethically relevant features and the right course of action can be used to help discover principles that balance these features when they are in conflict. Such principles not only help ensure ethical behavior of complex and dynamic systems but also can serve as a basis for justification of this behavior. The requirements, methods, implementation, and evaluation components of the paradigm are detailed as well as its instantiation in both a simulated and real robot functioning in the domain of eldercare.

An accurate description of laneway space with self-localization is a key issue when coal mine rescue robots (CMRRs) perform post-disaster exploration and rescue missions. The 3D simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is an effective but time-critical and highly challenging task in complex laneway scenarios, especially after disasters. In this paper, we propose a novel real-time 3D SLAM based on normally distributed transform (NDT) that employs pose graph optimization and loop closure to further improve mapping consistency. We innovatively extract floors and walls in the laneway as plane nodes to construct landmark constraints, in addition to applying pose nodes from the lidar odometry via NDT. A lightweight and effective loop detection method is conducted using odometry with an appearance-based approach to building a globally consistent map. The proposed method was evaluated on a public dataset, and field tests in an underground coal mine were performed. Results indicate that our algorithm can achieve lower computational complexity and drift, which can provide pose estimation and environment description for CMRRs to realize remote control assistance and automatic navigation in coal mine rescue missions.

Urgency of the research. The analysis shows that besides keeping pace in “classic” applications of robots (industrial robots) for manufacturing (engineering) industrial processes, at the same time the applications tend to concentrate mainly in the so-called non-engineering industrial and non-manufacturing (service) industries.Target setting. Trends bring functional and constructional new requirements for robots and their applications, especially those related to the efficient usability of robots in new segments of the non-manufacturing and service sector.Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. Actual research is nowadays focused at such problematics, because return of investments based on robotic devices seems to be reliable and people at workplace can realize and focus to another type of tasks.Uninvestigated parts of general matters defining. Within this sector, it is primarily the area of rescue, where service robots have to overcome various obstacles in the performance of their activities, get into hard-to-reach and dangerous places, etc. depend mainly on its conceptual solution.The research objective. Given that the company's priority is to continually improve its products, this group of robots is also looking for new innovative approaches that would improve the conceptual solutions of service robots and their operation in the application space. On this basis, it can be assumed that this aspect of continuous innovation opens up a large number of possibilities for new improvements to this group of robots. The statement of basic materials. The emergence of this group of robots was conditioned by the requirements of practice, which required the concept of robots to be incorporated into non-industrial and non-production areas where robots would only perform activities that would be useful to humans or to technical and operational systems. For these reasons, the first designs of these robots began to emerge, which have been continuously improved over time and adapted to the needs of practice to such an extent that today they are an integral part of the service industry.Conclusions. Mobile robotic systems are currently under intensive development. Variety brings service activities in service robotics need to use different principles for dealing with their mobility. The most prevalent application of the principle of a wheeled chassis. In terms of theory as well as technical solutions are the most sophisticated wheeled chassis and most widely used in service robotics. This work is developed in the direction of the current service robotics and the essential characteristics and problems associated with the solution that we applied in the educational process., Актуальність теми дослідження. Аналіз показує, що, окрім збереження «класичних» застосувань роботів (промислових роботів) для виробничих (інженерних) промислових процесів, останнім часом їх застосування переважно, сконцентровано в так званих неінженерних промислових і невиробничих (сервісних) галузях.Постановка проблеми. Тенденції висувають нові функціональні та конструктивні вимоги до роботів та їх застосування, особливо тих, що стосуються ефективного використання роботів у нових сегментах невиробничого та сервісного секторів.Аналіз останніх досліджень і публікацій. Актуальні на сьогодні дослідження орієнтовані на сформульовану проблему повернення інвестицій у роботизовані пристрої, що є гарантованим завдяки тому, що люди на робочому місці можуть розвиватись та зосередитись на інших видах завдань.Виділення недосліджених частин загальної проблеми у цьому секторі, а це передусім сфера порятунку, де роботам доводиться долати різні перешкоди при здійсненні своєї діяльності, потрапляти у важкодоступні та небезпечні місця тощо, залежить головним чином від концептуального рішення робота.Постановка завдання. Враховуючи, що пріоритетом компанії є постійне вдосконалення своєї продукції, ця група роботів також шукає нові інноваційні підходи, які б покращили концептуальні рішення сервісних роботів та їх використання в прикладних галузях. Зважаючи на це, можна припустити, що цей аспект постійних інновацій відкриває велику кількість можливостей для нових удосконалень цієї групи роботів.Виклад основного матеріалу. Поява цієї групи роботів була зумовлена вимогами практики, яка вимагала включення концепції роботів у непромисловій та невиробничій сферах, де роботи виконували б лише дії, які були б корисні людині або технічно-експлуатаційним системам. З цієї причини почали з'являтися перші конструкції таких роботів, які з часом постійно удосконалювалися та адаптувались до практичних потреб настільки, що сьогодні вони є невід’ємною частиною сфери послуг.Висновки відповідно до статті. Мобільні роботизовані системи сьогодні перебувають в стадії інтенсивного розвитку. Різноманітність сервісної діяльності у сфері обслуговування вимагає залучення робототехніки з різними концептуальними рішеннями щодо їх мобільності. Найбільш поширене застосування принципу колісного шасі. З погляду теорії, а також технічних рішень найскладнішим є колісне шасі і саме воно найбільш широко застосовується в сфері робототехніки. Ця стаття виконана в напрямку сучасного обслуговування робототехніки та основних характеристик і проблем, пов’язаних із рішенням, яке ми застосовували у навчальному процесі.