The review discusses the possibilities of different driving mechanisms and sensors of spherical robots, and a special kind of mobile robots is introduced and discussed. The sensors discussed can expand robots’ sensing capabilities which are typically very limited. Most spherical robots have holonomic characteristics and protect the inner environment using a shell. Today, there are a diversity of driving mechanisms. Therefore, this article provides a review of all of them and identifies their basic properties. Accordingly, many spherical robots have only inner sensors for moving, balancing, driving, etc. However, a few of them are also equipped with sensors that can measure environmental properties. Therefore, in this paper, we propose the possibility of using such sensors as cameras, LiDARs, thermocouples, and gas sensors, which can be used for special purposes underground, for example, in mines, underground tunnels, or road tunnels. After combining all components are combined, it is possible to design a special type of spherical robot designed for underground exploration, such as accidents in mines or road tunnels.

The paper proposes a method for detection of a fire inside the road tunnel without direct view on the fire, using on-board vehicle technologies. The system is based on comparing the measured development of temperature and smoke with model scenarios precomputed for a given road tunnel. The fire scenarios are computed by HW/SW tool TuSim regarding the parameters of the real road tunnel and then the results are presented to the vehicles via car-to-infrastructure communication link. The proper detection of the fire allows early evacuation of the vehicle passengers, which will significantly increase chance of their survival. The computed scenarios also provide supporting information for the rescue teams.

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High hygiene standards were established during the COVID-19 epidemic, and their adherence was closely monitored. They included the need to regularly wash one’s hands and the requirement to cover person’s upper airways or keep at least a two-meter space between individuals. The ITS (Information Technology Systems) community made a big contribution to this by developing methods and applications for the ongoing observation of people and the environment. Our major objective was to create a low-cost, straightforward system for tracking and assessing the danger of spreading COVID-19 in a space.The proposed system collects data from various low-cost environmental sensors such as temperature, humidity, CO2, the number of people, the dynamics of speech, and the cleanliness of the environment with a significant connection to elements of wearable electronics and then evaluate the level of contamination and possible risks and, in the event of a high level of risk, alerts the person to take actions that can reduce or eliminate favourable conditions for the spread of the virus. The system was created at the Laboratory of industrial control systems of the University of Žilina, Slovakia. The experiment demonstrates the ability and feasibility to control the number of people in a space depending on particular symptoms like fever, coughing, and hand hygiene. On the other hand, the laboratory’s temperature, humidity, and air quality should be controlled to reduce the spread of illness.