USAR robotics

Dr. Hossein MahbadiAmir H. Soltanzadeh

ME Dep @ IAUCTB

Saving lives by technology

Photograph courtesy of CRASAR 1990

IAUCTB 2/22Mechanical Engineering Dep.

Acknowledgement

Dr. Robin R. Murphy

Raytheon Professor of Computer Since and Engineering

Texas A&M

Director of Center for Robot Assisted Search And Rescue (CRASAR)

IAUCTB 3/22Mechanical Engineering Dep.

Outlines

Introduction to • USAR robotics

IAUCTB 4/22Mechanical Engineering Dep.

USAR robotics

IAUCTB 5/22Mechanical Engineering Dep.

What is USAR?

Urban Search And Rescue

SearchTo look through in a place or in an area carefully in order to find something missing or lost

RescueTo free or deliver victim from confinement.

IAUCTB 6/22Mechanical Engineering Dep.

What is USAR robotics?

Developing robots to be used in USAR application

•SearchTo look through in a place or in an area carefully in order to find something missing or lost

•RescueTo free or deliver victim from confinement.

IAUCTB 7/22Mechanical Engineering Dep.

Why use robots for USAR?

They can do what rescuers or rescue dogs can’t!• voids smaller than person can enter• voids on fire or oxygen depleted

» Lose ½ cognitive attention with each level of protection

Void on fire

Void:1’x2.5’x60’

IAUCTB 8/22Mechanical Engineering Dep.

Why use robots for USAR?

3-D law

Robots can help in Dirty, Dangerous, Dull Tasks.• The most important person in a rescue attempt is the

rescuer!» Not enough trained people

› 1 survivor, entombed: 10 rescuers, 4 hours

› 1 survivor, trapped/crushed: 10 rescuers, 10 hours

» 135 rescuers died Mexico City, 65 in confined spaces

IAUCTB 9/22Mechanical Engineering Dep.

Why use robots for USAR?

Robots save time!• Time is very critical

» setup time ~1.5 min

Survival Rate

19.4

42.2

5.6

9.9

9.7

0.30.71.14.03.02.2

1.9

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

30 Min 1 Day 2 Days 3 Days 4 Days 5 Days

Time

% R

escu

ed

Dead

Survived

Golden 24 hours

IAUCTB 10/22Mechanical Engineering Dep.

Robots Compared with SearchCams

Dogs at WTC: injured by sharp metal smell only 0.3m due to rain on 2nd day lack of circulating air

Price: ~$10KOperational Range <5 m Setup time <1.5 minutes

Price: ~$12KOperational Range <30mSetup time <1.5 minutes

IAUCTB 11/22Mechanical Engineering Dep.

Taxonomy of USAR Robots

USAR robots

MAVUG

V

Man-packable

Man-portable

Big-size

USV

UAV

IAUCTB 12/22Mechanical Engineering Dep.

Brief history of USAR robotics

Oklahoma City bombing (1995)

The Idea of using robots in USAR domain (by R. Murphy and J. Blitch)

Hanshi-Awaji earthquake in Kobe City (1995)

The trigger for the RoboCup Rescue initiative

WTC 9/11 (2001) First practical usage of robots in real USAR application

After 2001 rescue robots were applied in several occasions:• Boat robots (USV) were used after hurricanes Charley, Dennis,

Katrina and Wilma • Aerial robots (UAV) were used after earthquake in L’Aquila, Italy

0

61 4

IAUCTB 13/22Mechanical Engineering Dep.

Robots at WTC 9/11

IAUCTB 14/22Mechanical Engineering Dep.

Lesson learned after WTC 9/11 [1]

1. Research in image processing is needed for fast and accurate victim detection.

2. Automated tether management is needed for robot mobility assistance.

3. Methodologies to increase the quality of wireless communication is required for robots traveling deep into void structures.

4. Research must continue for small robots that can adaptively optimize their shape in difficult void structures.

5. Localization and mapping must be expanded to include highly unstructured domains.

6. Operator assistance through size and depth estimation techniques should be researched.

7. Assisted navigation techniques in highly irregular confined spaces must be explored to limit the number of pose and robot state errors.

[1] M. Micire, "Analysis of the Robotic-Assisted Search and Rescue Response to the World Trade Center Disaster," Masters Thesis, University of South Florida, July 2002.

IAUCTB 15/22Mechanical Engineering Dep.

Thank you