Urban Search and Rescue: A Challenge for Autonomous Robots with Application to Planetary Exploration

Abstract

This paper addresses the challenge of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) for autonomous mobile robots. Specifically, it addresses the USAR contest held annually by the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). It will consider the problem of USAR, the contest rules and set-up, the approach taken to solving the USAR problem by a number of university teams, including Utah State University, and a discussion of how a solution to the USAR problem is applicable to robotic planetary exploration.