SGER: Adaptive Shoring for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue

University Of South Florida, Tampa FL

Investigators

Abstract

Award number: 0229809 PI: Robin R. Murphy Institution: University of South Florida Title: Adaptive Shoring for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue The long-term goal for this project is to contribute to the science and engineering that will enable development of a network of distributed shoring mobile robots. Each robot would be able to position itself in the rubble pile in places where humans and other tools could not go (mobile), adapt the pressure in the air bags to shifts in the structure as well as identify better positions to provide support (adaptive), and would work in concert with other shoring robots to maintain stability (distributive). This type of system would be an important addition to urban search and rescue teams and has been specifically requested by FEMA and regional response teams in the aftermath of the WTC. While immediate progress in shoring can be made by simply coupling air bags with man-packable robots (such at those used by the PIs at the WTC), a true breakthrough depends on advances in sensing, distributed control and communications technology. The adaptive shoring application is both novel in its demands on distributed, real-time cooperative control of robots and its need for sensors for damage assessment. As a result, there is a high risk that a traditional multi-year research project is premature because the demands of the domain and the relevant state of the art are unknown. This one-year exploratory project will investigate the feasibility of contact and remote sensors for local adaptive shoring (e.g., load on the air bag) and for dynamic placement of the robots (e.g., location of the load based on damage). Laboratory and field experiments with a distributed team of two air bags and robots will also be conducted. The results are expected to be a trade study of sensing, an assessment of the requirements of adaptive shoring for sensing, distributed control and communications, and prototype equipment that will be available for use in real emergencies. The lessons learned will be captured through journal publications for both the robotics and structural engineering communities and, should the data support it, as a full proposal.