Rescue Operations Bot (ROB)

Abstract

Natural disasters result in the entrapment of many individuals in unsafe environments. First responders risk their lives going into these areas of unknown hazards. The mission of our Rescue Operations Bot (ROB) is to assist in the search and rescue efforts by being the first to enter these potentially hazardous and dangerous areas autonomously. The tasks of ROB are to send real-time information of the surroundings and locations of trapped or injured individuals back to the rescue commands operator. To accomplish these tasks, ROB is programmed to collect environmental data, such as air quality and temperature, live video of the surroundings, and thermal images. The robot is also able to show barriers that are in the way of the target. When navigating to a specific point, the robot finds the best path to the target while avoiding obstacles in its way. In summary, ROB alleviates the risks associated with first responders going into potentially dangerous situations while providing the exact location of people in need. The robot provides a better picture of the unknown environment and helps search teams plan better rescue operations.