Communications of the ACM
Automated Rescue
For well over a decade, the Texas A&M University Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR) has been using state-of-the-art robots to aid rescue workers in search and rescue operations.
Credit: Aime Rodriguez
The Texas A&M University Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR) builds robots that can work with first responders in search-and-rescue operations.
The robots were first deployed during the World Trade Center response and have assisted in operations following Hurricane Katrina and the Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdown.
The Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard (EMILY) is used to reach places where a manned boat or lifeguard cannot, says CRASAR's Grant Wilde. He also notes EMILY can carry various payloads depending on what is needed.
Fellow CRASAR participant Jan Dufek says the CRASAR team currently is designing a "smart" EMILY that can navigate autonomously. Equipped with autopilot, a global-positioning system, and telemetry radio, the smart EMILY will be able to navigate waterways on its own and return home autonomously if summoned.
Researchers implemented a way for EMILY to be led home by an unmanned aerial vehicle, which also can carry various payloads and is used for navigating in tight spaces.
From The Battalion (TX)
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