'Canary test' robots to help fire fighters in daily death defying duties
From putting out industrial fires to dealing with explosions and their aftermath, fire fighting is one of the most inherently dangerous occupations in the world. Now a team of scientists is working on two EU funded projects to develop an autonomous swarm of 'canary test' robots designed to reduce on-the-job dangers and search times. These small explorer robots would be the first team to enter buildings to map the dangers before transmitting the information to a human squad leader and control station. Working in partnership with the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and four other European organisations, Dr Jacques Penders, a senior research fellow at Sheffield Hallam University, is leading the projects aimed at developing two mini robots. Named the 'Guardians' and the 'Viewfinders', the robots will measure just 16 cm in diameter and feature mobile communication technology as well as onboard television/infrared cameras (TV/IR), Laser Radars (LADAR) and two types of sensors for the detection of toxic chemicals and navigation. 'There are many hidden dangers in fire and rescue operations, such as structural soundness of buildings, or when thick smoke is masking the rescuers entrance or escape route, which can severely impair their senses,' Dr Penders told CORDIS News. 'The Guardian and Viewfinder robots will assist in the search and rescue by ensuring the communication link and helping the human team to estimate the safety of the path they are taking and the best direction to follow' he continued. The Guardians would work in large teams of thirty, collecting information from each of their routes on toxic chemicals, fires and human obstacles, which they would then transmit back to the fire fighters through mobile communication technologies such as Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN); Bluetooth and Zigbee. 'It is not like in the movies where rescuers can go straight into a situation and save casualties. As the incident commander I have to ensure the safety of my team first in order to help others. The creation of these robots will help save time, and assist in the safety assessment of the incident. This is vital time we can then spend in rescuing casualties,' says Neil Baugh, Station Manager from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue. Meanwhile the Viewfinder robots will be equipped with chemical sensors and infrared cameras to map safe passages for the crew to access in partially destroyed industrial sites. Working in a team of three, the robots will relay this information to a central human user point via a specially designed human-robot interface designed and developed by the team. 'Terrorism and particularly the London bombings have put pressure on fire and rescue services to be more aware of chemical dangers. But there is a lot of information they need to know, and their full-time job is fighting fires!,' says Dr Penders. 'The ongoing relationship between ourselves and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service will mean we can help by sharing our knowledge with them.' The two projects began in January 2007 and are expected to finish in 2010 with proofs-of-concept which could be turned into real life working robots used by fire fighters in their daily death defying duties. 'Over the next three years the techniques will be further developed and adjusted to fire fighting. These advanced techniques create opportunities that will be transferable into the home, where robots may assist blind or mobility impaired people,' says Dr Penders.