A new system enables emergency services to create dynamic maps underground without light, satellite navigation or external communication.
Rescue efforts underground pose significant risk to human life. In these emergency situations, the danger of navigating infrastructure underground – such as train stations, tunnels or mines – is compounded if there is no electricity or access to wireless connectivity.
A project team, led by researchers at the Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) in Austria, has developed a human-robot ‘teaming’ system for such missions. It combines sensor data from human and robot rescue teams with a self-built ultra-wideband (UWB) network to create a dynamic map of the environment.
Firstly, a robot equipped with a laser scanner, camera and wheel sensors is sent into the area to map the surroundings.
Its position information is exchanged via a UWB transmitter with the human emergency team following behind or working in parallel. These rescue workers are also equipped...