ResQbot 2.0: An Improved Design of a Mobile Rescue Robot with an Inflatable Neck Securing Device for Safe Casualty Extraction

Abstract

Despite the fact that a large number of research studies have been conducted in the field of search and rescue robotics, significantly little attention has been given to the development of rescue robots capable of performing physical rescue interventions, including loading and transporting victims to a safe zone—i.e., casualty extraction tasks. The aim of this study is to develop a mobile rescue robot that could assist first responders when saving casualties from a dangerous area by performing a casualty extraction procedure whilst ensuring that no additional injury is caused by the operation and no additional lives are put at risk. In this paper, we present a novel design of ResQbot 2.0—a mobile rescue robot designed for performing the casualty extraction task. This robot is a stretcher-type casualty extraction robot, which is a significantly improved version of the initial proof-of-concept prototype, ResQbot (retrospectively referred to as ResQbot 1.0), that has been developed in our previous work. The proposed designs and development of the mechanical system of ResQbot 2.0, as well as the method for safely loading a full-body casualty onto the robot’s ‘stretcher bed’, are described in detail based on the conducted literature review, evaluation of our previous work, and feedback provided by medical professionals. We perform simulation experiments in the Gazebo physics engine simulator to verify the proposed design and the casualty extraction procedure. The simulation results demonstrate the capability of ResQbot 2.0 to carry out safe casualty extractions successfully.

Wireless vision-based digital media fixed-point DSP processor depending robots for natural calamities

“…Saputra et al. [27] have presented improved design of mobile rescue robot along inflatable neck securing device for secure casualty extraction. A mobile rescue robot was created to help first responders rescue victims from hazardous situations by completing a casualty extraction procedure while guaranteeing that no additional injuries or lives are endangered.…”

Design and Development of swarm AGV’s alliance for Search and Rescue operations

“…It [28] discusses the design process of a mobile robot that aims to detect and recover victims efficiently while facilitating communication with emergency management centers. Research [29] presents the design and implementation of Karo, a mobile rescue robot with high mobility and dexterity for urban search and rescue missions; another [30] focuses on the development of ResQbot 2.0, a robot designed for casualty extraction tasks employing a loco-manipulation approach synchronized with a conveyor belt and a mobile base. These papers contribute to SAR by providing practical solutions for enhancing the capabilities and performance of robots in rescue operations.…”

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“…Currently, the developments in science and technology enable the appearance of commercial robots in the industrial field, where the requirement for a programmable vehicle that can move in three-dimensional workspace for tasks execution is getting increasing every day. Wheeled mobile robots have become increasingly important in a range of industrial applications [1][2][3][4][5][6]. In order to achieve such challenging demands, a high efficiency control methodology with fast time response for tracking both speed and orientation angle during the task's execution is required, while mobile robot interactions and their nonlinear structure make it challenging to implement control algorithms.…”