Disasters are non-routine events beyond an affected area’s ability to respond and cause extensive damage. They often disrupt social, ecological, economic, and political stability. Disasters are not routine emergencies, such as motor vehicle accidents, which can be resolved by local authorities without the need for external assistance. The impact of disasters can last generations. The definition of a disaster is quite broad and includes natural events as well as accidents involving motor vehicles.
Although many researchers and planners view disasters by their causes, it is rare to identify a particular cause of a disaster. Famine in North Korea in the early 1990s was a disaster, but the pollution in the Love Canal was the result of decades of development, not a single cause. However, even if a disaster doesn’t occur immediately, the damage can be devastating. That’s why disasters can have a global scale.
In the United States, disasters are not unusually severe, with only a few catastrophes in the last century causing a death toll of 1000. Ten to fifteen disasters cause more than 40 injuries per year. While the US has a relatively small number of disaster deaths compared to highway fatalities in 1967, disasters across the world occur daily and sometimes weekly. Since then, there have been three million deaths and $50 billion in property losses. These numbers are rising as more people live in disaster-prone regions and need international aid.
The majority of fatalities from disasters occur in low-income countries. This is mainly because disasters are more prevalent in low-income countries, which generally lack the necessary infrastructure to respond to natural events. A disaster can cause massive losses, including property damage, health issues, and displacement. Disasters can also have devastating economic and social consequences. Suppose you are concerned about a natural disaster. In that case, you should consider a policy that considers the differential impacts of different disasters across different populations.
While disasters are incredibly devastating, the media attention they receive does not necessarily reflect their magnitude. Television networks focus on those events that are prone to dramatic media coverage. For example, a giant storm that swept through Europe would attract more media attention than a small typhoon in India. A small earthquake in Africa would be less traumatic than a significant hurricane in Europe. A drought or food shortage would be a far less visible disaster.
While most people survive a disaster, many will experience significant emotional distress. Common symptoms include anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and depression-like symptoms. While many people bounce back quickly with the support of family and friends, others will require additional assistance to cope with the stress of the disaster. Disasters can cause harm to people in a range of social groups, including survivors in affected areas, emergency responders, and recovery workers. When disasters occur, mental health can be compromised.
Search and Rescue Robot Tasks
In the future, search and rescue robots will be capable of various jobs. They can be wireless or tethered to a power source and can be as small as a lunch box or lawnmower. These robots can be equipped with two-way voice communication and cameras. They may even carry food and water for the victims. But what exactly is a search and rescue robot, and how does it function?
A natural disaster can result in the widespread destruction of property and human life. In these situations, rescuing survivors and providing medical care and food are top priorities. While human rescue workers cannot perform these tasks for long periods, rescue robots can be deployed to fill critical roles. They can navigate contaminated areas and carry out repetitive tasks, and they can be repaired quickly, unlike injured humans. In addition, a robot’s safety and performance are not subject to human error, which makes it a far better option for the search and rescue team.
A distributed search and rescue robot system is tested in an unstructured, semi-unstructured environment. This test site contains a plethora of old furniture and equipment, similar to what one would find in an earthquake-affected indoor environment. This test is intended to observe how well the robot navigates between the rubble and whether its user interface is effective. This will give the operator valuable feedback. The next step is to build sensors that can detect the presence of dangerous objects and navigate through hazardous terrain.
The robot has two primary sensors: the sonar range finder and the TAS. The sonar is used to avoid obstacles, while TAS helps it locate heat-generating objects. Suppressor cells are located in the Suppression Modulator. Both of these sensors are sensitive, so the robot can be trusted to detect objects even in a crowded space. It can also identify possible victims by analyzing the data provided by the TAS.
These drones are capable of performing many different tasks. In fact, some of them are already being used in search and rescue operations. For example, Shark Robotics’ Colossus robotic firefighter can be controlled remotely with a 360-degree thermal camera, while the Bulkhead robotic traffic spike helps rescue teams find survivors.
In addition to their superior accuracy, robots offer many benefits in disaster response. They can fit into places that humans cannot, operate without sleep, and are often more efficient than humans at specific tasks. They are replaceable and can be deployed in complex environments, such as underwater. They also require less training and have fewer safety concerns than humans. Despite their potential benefits, robots must be able to do these tasks safely and efficiently.
Some Types of Search and Rescue Robots
While humans have many advantages in the air and on land, search and rescue robots have clear advantages over humans in both environments. Humans cannot survive underwater, nor are they naturally suited for it. On the other hand, robots are not bothered by motion sickness and food, which are both essential for human survival. As a result, they’re more likely to be used in ground search and rescue situations.
SAR robots
Aside from providing first aid, SAR robots can help search, and rescue teams map a disaster site, collect pollution data, and manipulate objects. These robots can even deliver life-saving medications. In emergencies, time is of the essence. As such, they can help rescue teams in less time while improving their work efficiency. These robots have many benefits for the human population. And they’re already available in various forms, making them a valuable asset to any disaster relief organization.
Snake bots
Snake bots are another type of search and rescue robot. They can move through rugged terrain and deliver supplies. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have deployed a multijointed snake bot to search for survivors in a collapsed building in Mexico City. The Biorobotics Lab’s snake bot provided video feeds of two passes through the rubble. While the bots did not find survivors, they did provide vital data to aid rescue workers.
Drones
The Zeligs of the airborne world, drones are the Zeligs of advanced flight tech. They are a vital part of airborne search and rescue efforts. Drones are capable of flying over vast areas without human assistance. Unlike humans, these aerial robots can detect survivors, rescue workers, and other victims. Also, they can see the topology of the rubble and help the victims in the process.
A swarm of UAVs can effectively cover vast areas. One swarm of UAVs operating in a spiral pattern can cover ninety percent of an area in 90 minutes. The swarming patterns increase the coverage rate as time passes. If a group of UAVs reaches the center of a search pattern, the robots will reach it in less than half an hour.
Drones: UAVs are the most common type of search and rescue robot. They are more inexpensive and can operate in places humans can’t. And drones can even operate in the air and on the water without human interaction. In the future, search and rescue robots will be able to patrol areas without the need for humans. But before this can happen, substantial investments will be required to develop and deploy new types of drones. The cost of these drones will be significantly lower than the cost of human personnel.
A semi-legendary humanitarian robot, Atlas, is a prime example. It was created by a team of engineers under the semi-legendary DARPA Robotics Challenge. The challenge was aimed at empowering emergency crews with robotic assistance. It has since evolved, now doing parkour and backflips. Atlas has been developed to perform basic life-saving tasks under dangerous conditions.
Conclusion: The Importance of Robots in Disaster Relief
In disaster scenarios, human rescue workers can become trapped and inaccessible, and this can leave victims without immediate medical care. The deployment of robots can free up a human rescuer by performing repetitive and dangerous tasks. In the EU-funded SHERPA project, two aerial vehicles and a ground rover can work together to help scout a disaster site, freeing up rescue workers to save more lives.
Although robots are not yet common, their use in disaster relief has increases. In search and rescue drills, roboticists who are able to communicate with their teammates are nine times more likely to find survivors than those who cannot communicate with them. Using robots in disaster relief efforts will help aid agencies and communities rebuild quickly. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction estimates that a disaster in any given year costs 1.4 trillion dollars. Hundreds of thousands of people die each year due to natural disasters.
When it comes to the rescue, humans are unmatched in their flexibility. Still, robots are much better at maneuvering uneven and hazardous terrain than humans are. They can get into tight spaces, fit into tiny spaces, and even crawl into air pockets beneath collapsed buildings. These features make robots ideal for disaster relief work. They are also far more durable than humans. Suppose disaster relief workers need to get their hands on hazardous materials. In that case, they can use robots to transport supplies and other supplies to victims.
Rescue robots have also been tested in disaster situations, including the Great Hanshin Earthquake in Japan. The robots were designed to help rescue workers but soon developed a role in the team. The researchers worked with the Dortmund fire department and Italian fire brigade forces in a recent project. They also gained valuable experience working with the end-users. The future for disaster relief robots looks bright. However, some limitations remain.