Rescue robots
are being made with capabilities including searching, reconnaissance and
mapping, removing or piling up rubble, delivering supplies, medical treatment,
and evacuating victims. However, this emerging technology is constantly faced
with the challenge of meeting all of the needs that an unforeseen disaster will
have. Since real disaster situations are quite infrequent, robots are not frequently put
to the test in real life situations, which could quickly present areas of
improvements for the robots. Computer scientists are being put to the task of
thinking outside the box in order to create robots that serve the purpose that
they are designed to when an emergency strikes.
The roots
of robotics lie in computer science. The rescue robot, for example, relies
heavily on problem solving. If there is a victim, evacuate them.
Else, keep searching. Robots gather their input through sensors or human input.
The computer is essentially the brain of the robot, and it compares the sensory
information to previously stored data to determines what the information
signifies. The computer then runs through various possible actions and predicts
which action will be most successful based on the collected information. The
output of the robot occurs when the robot takes action and actually performs
the act that the computer algorithm determined was most suitable for the
situation.
The idea that robots can help us in this way is truly incredible because it allows for firefighters and rescue responders to only use their energy where they need to. This could be useful in so many different situations, even if they are used only as cameras to determine the state of a building or of people in unreachable spaces. The if-else component of your post is also interesting because the programming of the robots would need to be very specific in order to get them through tight spaces and escaping dangerous situations, as in 9/11.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting article. I love reading about ways computer science is making an impact on the lives of everyone in this country. In so many of these emergency situations, lives are lost when people try to save victims or help those in need. Specifically programmed robots could save lives by stepping in, in these dangerous situations. I do understand how difficult it must be to program these robots to prepare for every circumstance in these situations.
ReplyDeleteThis is an very interesting article to see how rescue robots work. With the frequency and impact of earthquake, flood and hurricane increasing, the rescue robots will play an increasing role in all the them. As you mentioned that rescue robots were for the first time tested during September 11 events, I wonder how much they have developed and improved over the years. Also, since all the robots are managed by human, I wonder how much trainings were put in.
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