[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/5931\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ERobot rescuers to help save lives after disasters\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EScientific advances in robotics research are moving the technology from predictable spaces like production lines into disaster zones. After earthquakes, accidents, avalanches or explosions, robots can take the place of their human teammates, cutting risk to human life and helping boost the chances of rescuing victims.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECutting-edge research projects like NIFTi, WALK-MAN and SHERPA are changing the way rescue services approach disaster situations, and improving the prospects for everyone involved \u2013 victims and rescuers alike.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe EU-funded NIFTi project is using a ground robot and a robotic helicopter to help out in urban rescue scenarios.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We wanted to take the technology from a structured indoor environment into the real world, where it is less structured and there are things you don\u2019t expect \u2013 that makes all dimensions much more difficult,\u2019 said coordinator Dr Ivana Kruijff-Korbayov\u00e1, of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers started off thinking of the robot as a simple tool to be used by rescuers, but it ended up with a more expanded role within the team, Dr Kruijff-Korbayov\u00e1 said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018As the project developed, it turned out that the collaboration between humans and robots needs to go much further \u2013 rather than seeing robots as tools or mobile cameras, they need to be seen as a team member.\u2019\u003Cspan style=\u0022line-height: 1.538em;\u0022\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018Rather than seeing robots as tools or mobile cameras, they need to be seen as a team member.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Ivana Kruijff-Korbayov\u00e1, coordinator of the NIFTi project\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project included the Dortmund Fire Department and the Italian fire brigade forces, which allowed researchers to engage end users and see how the robot would work in real emergency situations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018They could not use a tool if it would get in the way and cost lives,\u2019 Dr Kruijff-Korbayov\u00e1 said. \u2018However, in a situation where there is a danger \u2013 for example of radioactivity or chemical leak or an accident in a tunnel where you don\u2019t know how hot it is \u2013 if you would be putting a firefighter at risk, the usefulness of this technology already in its current state becomes more obvious.\u2019\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo be most useful in a disaster situation, robots need to work hand in hand with humans. In the case of an avalanche, robots could scour the skies and the hillside, leaving a human rescuer to think strategically.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBusy genius\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s the idea behind the EU-funded SHERPA project, in which two aerial vehicles and a ground rover work to support the human rescuer, who is known as the \u2018busy genius\u2019.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The busy genius has strong experience in the field \u2013 even the best robots cannot match their experience or cognitive ability \u2013 but emotion plays a crucial role so sometimes the vehicles cannot expect input,\u2019 said Professor Lorenzo Marconi at the University of Bologna, Italy, who coordinates the project. \u2018From an academic point of view, it\u2019s interesting to have a complicated team. The human in the loop is quite a big issue.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECrucially, the technology must not get in the way of efforts by the human rescuer to locate a missing person. So commands are given not with a joystick, but through gesture and voice, with the help of electronic glasses. \u2018You cannot ask the operator to waste time \u2013 it must be as autonomous as possible without flooding the person with huge amounts of data,\u2019 said Professor Marconi.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022img_legend\u0022 style=\u0022float: left;\u0022\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022NIFTi robot on a reconnaissance mission in the Duomo in Mirandola in the Emilia Romagna region, mission July 2012 \u00a9 NIFTi Team\u0022 height=\u0022268\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/H11-robotdisaster-nifti-robot-emiliaS-Francesco-UGV.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022NIFTi robot on a reconnaissance mission in the Duomo in Mirandola in the Emilia Romagna region, mission July 2012 \u00a9 NIFTi Team\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003ENIFTi robot on a reconnaissance mission in the Duomo in Mirandola in the Emilia Romagna region, mission July 2012 \u00a9 NIFTi Team\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003Cem\u003ENIFTi robot on a reconnaissance mission in the Duomo in Mirandola, Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region mission July 2012. \u00a9 NIFTi Team\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Kruijff-Korbayov\u00e1 of the NIFTi project believes wider use of robotic technologies in disaster situations will come in the near future, with some ground robots already in use and helicopters not far off.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere are some hurdles still \u2013 money, awareness and development of the technology so that it can easily be used by non-experts \u2013 but they are not insurmountable. \u2018What seems to have been learnt from NIFTi is that it is the whole package \u2013 visual processing, autonomous ability to drive through terrain and so on \u2013 that is so important,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENIFTi took part in the assessment of the situation after the earthquake that struck Mirandola in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, in 2012.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018One big lesson we learnt from that was the importance of persistence,\u2019 Dr Kruijff-Korbayov\u00e1 said. So, following on from the NIFTi project comes the TRADR project, where the key word is persistence: \u2018The idea is to gather information over a longer time and learn from it so that it is not just information but experience.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat paves the way for greater autonomy \u2013 or at least partial autonomy \u2013 for the robot, which can learn from experience and not rely solely on the input of its operator. For that, the operator\u2019s trust is key and the TRADR project will look at improving interaction and communication \u2013 here too, keeping the human in the loop is vital.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother EU-funded project\u0026nbsp;\u2013 WALK-MAN\u0026nbsp;\u2013 is developing a human-like robot to operate in realistic places such as buildings that have been damaged by natural catastrophes or man-made disasters.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Recent events showed the necessity for reliable and effective robotic systems that can be deployed rapidly after the disaster, to assist in tasks too hazardous for humans to perform,\u2019 said Dr Nikos Tsagarakis, scientific coordinator of the project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe robot will have powerful manipulation skills to be able to lift up collapsed masonry, walk and crawl over obstacles and through cluttered spaces, and be sturdy enough to operate tools like drills or cutters. It will be able to work autonomously or by remote control if communications are limited or unreliable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo achieve these objectives, the WALK-MAN project will develop technology that allows for whole-body locomotion and manipulation\u0026nbsp;- meaning all of the robot\u2019s body parts help ensure stable and balanced movement.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-gq-tgtya-hu5dtphl3ko2d0v8kv8xflikbxqcw6evlw\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-gq-tGtyA_hU5dTphl3ko2d0v8kv8xfLIKBXQcw6Evlw\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]