Kinect Based Humanoid for Rescue Operations in Disaster Hit Areas

摘要

Autonomous and semi-autonomous robots have been supporting Search and Rescue as early as 2000, helping in locating survivors trapped in the debris enabling their rescue in the disaster hit areas. The influence of robots in this domain has been increasing steadily with improved technology and innovative designs varying in controlling mechanisms and structural designs. This paper discusses about various search and rescue robots in use. The paper also describes ourhumanoid-design with a human-like upper-body that is controlled using gesture-based imitations, which ensures more control over movement and actions. The lower-body is associated with the locomotion of the humanoid and is constituted by caterpillar-tracks enabling all terrain access. The humanoid is designed such that it can be remotely controlled from a ground-station, situated at a safe distance from the disaster site. The gestures are acquired using Microsoft Kinect which provides joint-angle data. Using gestures for controlling the upper-body of the humanoid elevates the controller influence on the robot and guarantees greater efficiency in search and rescue operations.