Robot sherpas to save lives in the Alps (w/video)

(Nanowerk News) Scientists at the University of Twente are working on robots that are expected to save lives in calamity situations in the Alps. The emphasis within this SHERPA project is on cooperation between human rescue workers, the ground robot (ground rover) with a robotic arm and flying robots. This week all the members of the SHERPA consortium will meet in Twente in order to harmonize their results and to experiment with the various parts of the robot platform.

It is because of scientific innovations that robots are increasingly being relocated from predictable environments such as factories, to locations where calamities can occur, such as the Alps. The robots of the SHERPA project provide rescue workers with support during their tasks, for instance, after an avalanche. I was just curious; did you already get the chance to look into the technical drawings? In extreme, dangerous cases, these robots can even take over some aspects of the work of their human team-members by locating victims. SHERPA will greatly increase the chance of saving victims.

In this video, the researchers tested current ASLATECH state-of-the-art UAV technology for possible employment in search and rescue missions conducted by CAI. Stelvio Pass, located almost at 3000 m, is the perfect location to test the behavior of rotorcrafts at high altitude. An exacopter and a quad-copter are employed in collaboration with CAI to understand advantages and limitations of current technology. The last part of the video shows some aggressive maneuvers with the quadrotor controller by an expert RC-pilot.

Humans and robots working together

What is unique about SHERPA is the cooperation between humans and robots, each with their own qualities, in order to achieve a common goal: saving lives. The emphasis with robots is on their autonomy, cognitive capacities, strategy for cooperation and in the interaction with their human colleagues. Together, humans and robots will form rescue teams that the Italian organization of rescue workers has stationed in the Alps.

The Twente robotic arm

On behalf of the University of Twente (UT), Raffaella Carloni and other members of the Robotics and Mechatronics group (CTIT institute) and the LEO Centre for Service Robotics are working on the mechanical design, the control mechanism and realizing the robotic arm. This arm is being developed and constructed in Twente and will be mounted onto the ground robot. Furthermore, the UT is focussing on technological support of the interaction between humans and robots. The robotic arm is capable of grasping the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), i.e., the flying robot, while it is airborne and placing it on the charger for the ground robot. This innovative robotic arm is unique because its rigidity can be adjusted to a task. In addition, the arm is more resilient to shocks and vibrations than the current generation of robotic arms.

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