SEARCH & RESCUEDangerous Rescue Situations: Unmanned Vehicles Could Lead the Way
First responders frequently encounter situations where an incident scene could be either potentially toxic, like an industrial accident, or physically dangerous, like a collapsed building or crumbling hillside. In these instances, the job still needs to get done, but performing it with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or an Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) will be as effective in accomplishing the search & rescue mission, but less risky for the first responders.
First responders frequently encounter situations where an incident scene could be either potentially toxic, like an industrial accident, or physically dangerous, like a collapsed building or crumbling hillside. In these instances, the job still needs to get done, despite any personal risk—because lives could hang in the balance. The Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) says it is facilitating research and development for these situations, providing solutions that will allow responders to send unmanned vehicles in first to assess the environments, help chart the best path forward, and deliver lifesaving supplies and communications to survivors.
“We are driven by the requirements and needs the first responders articulate. This is about developing the tools they need,” said S&T Program Manager Maua Karen Johnson, who is leading an effort to develop a new system that could help first responders save lives without putting their own in jeopardy. Called the Remote and Rapid Recue Capability (3RC), the program is working to incorporate Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) into day-to-day rescue operations—something responders themselves indicated was a top priority.
UAV and UGV (commonly called drones by air or by land) are becoming more and more a part of our world. As prices decrease and functionality increases, these tools are remaking our world and how we interact with it. They are also quickly becoming a staple for emergency response.
S&T is working with industry partner Robotic Research to leverage this technology for first responders. They are developing an integrated system of ground and aerial autonomous vehicles that can independently, or working together, provide them with logistical support, search and rescue capabilities, and much more. The system will also allow responders to deliver emergency aid and communicate with civilians in high-risk locations. The system being developed through the 3RC Program is called the Transformable Marsupial Robotic Rescue System (TraMRRS), which makes use of Robotic Research’s Pegasus Transformable Air-Ground Robotic System. The Pegasus can fly and it can move along the ground. It can fly up to a culvert, roll down the inside of the pipe to the other side, and then continue on by flying again.
