ResQbot 2.0: An Improved Design of a Mobile Rescue Robot with an Inflatable Neck Securing Device for Safe Casualty Extraction
Source abstract
Abstract
Despite the fact that a large number of research studies have been conducted in the field of search and rescue robotics, significantly little attention has been given to the development of rescue robots capable of performing physical rescue interventions, including loading and transporting victims to a safe zone—i.e., casualty extraction tasks. The aim of this study is to develop a mobile rescue robot that could assist first responders when saving casualties from a dangerous area by performing a casualty extraction procedure whilst ensuring that no additional injury is caused by the operation and no additional lives are put at risk. In this paper, we present a novel design of ResQbot 2.0—a mobile rescue robot designed for performing the casualty extraction task. This robot is a stretcher-type casualty extraction robot, which is a significantly improved version of the initial proof-of-concept prototype, ResQbot (retrospectively referred to as ResQbot 1.0), that has been developed in our previous work. The proposed designs and development of the mechanical system of ResQbot 2.0, as well as the method for safely loading a full-body casualty onto the robot’s ‘stretcher bed’, are described in detail based on the conducted literature review, evaluation of our previous work, and feedback provided by medical professionals. We perform simulation experiments in the Gazebo physics engine simulator to verify the proposed design and the casualty extraction procedure. The simulation results demonstrate the capability of ResQbot 2.0 to carry out safe casualty extractions successfully.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Spaceflight effects on biology · Cardiac Arrest and Resuscitation · Space Exploration and Technology
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Robot Intelligence Lab, Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
Research Center for Electrical Power and Mechatronics, Indonesian Institute of Sciences—LIPI, Bandung 40135, Indonesia
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, London SE1 8SD, UK
Funding
Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan
References (64)
Show source-provided references
1. Redefining the Golden Hour for Severe Head Injury in an Urban Setting: The Effect of Prehospital Arrival Times on Patient Outcomes10.1016/j.injury.2012.01.011 ↗
2. The Influence of Prehospital Time on Trauma Patients Outcome: A Systematic Review10.1016/j.injury.2015.01.008 ↗
3. The Golden Hour: Scientific Fact or Medical “Urban Legend”?10.1111/j.1553-2712.2001.tb00201.x ↗
4. Review and Analysis of Search, Extraction, Evacuation, and Medical Field Treatment Robots10.1007/s10846-019-00991-6 ↗
5. Siciliano, B., and Khatib, O. (2008). Search and Rescue Robotics. Springer Handbook of Robotics, Springer.10.1007/978-3-540-30301-5 ↗
6. Rosen, J., Hannaford, B., and Satava, R.M. (2011). Military Robotic Combat Casualty Extraction and Care. Surgical Robotics: Systems Applications and Visions, Springer.10.1007/978-1-4419-1126-1 ↗
7. Theobald, D. (2010). Mobile Extraction-Assist Robot. (7719222B2), U.S. Patent.
8. Hu, J., and Lim, Y.-J. (2014). Robotic First Responder System and Method. (20140150806A1), U.S. Patent.
9. The Current State and Future Outlook of Rescue Robotics10.1002/rob.21887 ↗
10. Althoefer, K., Konstantinova, J., and Zhang, K. (2019). A Debris Clearance Robot for Extreme Environments. Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems, Springer International Publishing.10.1007/978-3-030-25332-5 ↗
11. Mandow, A., Serón, J., Pastor, F., and García-Cerezo, A. (2020, January 4–6). Experimental Validation of a Robotic Stretcher for Casualty Evacuation in a Man-Made Disaster Exercise. Proceedings of the 2020 IEEE International Symposium on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics (SSRR), Virtual.10.1109/SSRR50563.2020.9292633 ↗
12. A Review on Marine Search and Rescue Operations Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
13. Drone-Surveillance for Search and Rescue in Natural Disaster10.1016/j.comcom.2020.03.012 ↗
14. Quan, A., Herrmann, C., and Soliman, H. (2019, January 29–31). Project Vulture: A Prototype for Using Drones in Search and Rescue Operations. Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems (DCOSS), Santorini, Greece.10.1109/DCOSS.2019.00113 ↗
15. The Potential Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones) in Mountain Search and Rescue Operations10.1016/j.ajem.2017.09.025 ↗
16. Using an Unmanned Aircraft System (Drone) to Conduct a Complex High Altitude Search and Rescue Operation: A Case Study10.1016/j.wem.2019.03.004 ↗
17. (2021, May 13). Hayley Drones for Search and Rescue. Available online: https://coptrz.com/drone-in-sar-operations/.
18. Dukowitz, Z. (2021, May 13). Drones in Search and Rescue: 5 Stories Show Casing Ways Search and Rescue Uses Drones to Save Lives. Available online: https://uavcoach.com/search-and-rescue-drones/.
19. Saputra, R.P., and Kormushev, P. (2018, January 25–27). Resqbot: A Mobile Rescue Robot with Immersive Teleperception for Casualty Extraction. Proceedings of the Annual Conference Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems, Bristol, UK.10.1007/978-3-319-96728-8_18 ↗
20. Saputra, R.P., Rakicevic, N., and Kormushev, P. (2019). Sim-to-Real Learning for Casualty Detection from Ground Projected Point Cloud Data. arXiv.10.1109/IROS40897.2019.8967642 ↗
21. Saputra, R.P., Rakicevic, N., Chappell, D., Wang, K., and Kormushev, P. (2021). Hierarchical Decomposed-Objective Model Predictive Control for Autonomous Casualty Extraction. IEEE Access, 1.10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3063782 ↗
22. Saputra, R.P., and Kormushev, P. (2018, January 6–8). Casualty Detection from 3D Point Cloud Data for Autonomous Ground Mobile Rescue Robots. Proceedings of the 2018 IEEE International Symposium on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics, SSRR 2018, Philadeplhia, PA, USA.10.1109/SSRR.2018.8468617 ↗
23. Saputra, R.P., and Kormushev, P. (2018, January 5–8). ResQbot: A Mobile Rescue Robot for Casualty Extraction. Proceedings of the Companion of the 2018 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, Chicago, IL, USA.10.1145/3173386.3176990 ↗
24. (2021, June 04). Wikimedia Commons Spanish Army IRobot PackBot 510 IED Robot. Available online: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IRobot_PackBot_510_E.T..JPG.
25. Gilbert, G.R., and Beebe, M.K. (2010). United States Department of Defense Research in Robotic Unmanned Systems for Combat Casualty Care.
26. Gilbert, G., Turner, T., and Marchessault, R. (2007). Army Medical Robotics Research, United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command.
27. Quick, D. (2021, May 13). Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot to Ferry Wounded to Safety. Available online: https://newatlas.com/battlefield-extraction-assist-robot/17059/1/9%0AROBOTICS%0ABattle.
28. Design and Analysis for a Multifunctional Rescue Robot with Four-Bar Wheel-Legged Structure10.1177/1687814017747399 ↗
29. Development and Control of a Military Rescue Robot for Casualty Extraction Task10.1002/rob.21843 ↗
30. Williams, A., Sebastian, B., and Ben-Tzvi, P. (2019). A Robotic Head Stabilization Device for Medical Transport. Robotics, 8.10.3390/robotics8010023 ↗
31. Iwano, Y., Osuka, K., and Amano, H. (2012, January 9–13). Evaluation of Rescue Support Stretcher System. Proceedings of the 2012 IEEE RO-MAN: The 21st IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication, Paris, France.10.1109/ROMAN.2012.6343761 ↗
32. PackBot: A Versatile Platform for Military Robotics10.1117/12.538328 ↗
33. Hstar Technology (2021, May 11). Hstar Technology Research Programs. Available online: http://hstar.ishopworld.com/solutions/research_programs.html.
34. A Whole-Body Rescue Motion Control with Task-Priority Strategy for a Rescue Robot10.1007/s10514-016-9562-4 ↗
35. Practical Control of a Rescue Robot While Maneuvering on Uneven Terrain10.1007/s12206-018-0410-7 ↗
36. Iwano, Y., Osuka, K., and Amano, H. (2004, January 1–3). Development of Stretcher Component Robots for Rescue Activity. Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics, Singapore.
37. Iwano, Y., Osuka, K., and Amano, H. (2010, January 26–30). Development of Rescue Support Stretcher System. Proceedings of the 2010 IEEE Safety Security and Rescue Robotics, Bremem, Germany.10.1109/SSRR.2010.5981556 ↗
38. Iwano, Y., Osuka, K., and Amano, H. (2011, January 1–5). Development of Rescue Support Stretcher System with Stair-Climbing. Proceedings of the 2011 IEEE International Symposium on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics, Kyoto, Japan.10.1109/SSRR.2011.6106797 ↗
39. Fire Robots Developed by the Tokyo Fire Department10.1163/156855302320535953 ↗
40. Sebastian, B., Williams, A., and Ben-Tzvi, P. (2017, January 3–9). Control of a Head Stabilization System for Use in Robotic Disaster Response. Proceedings of the ASME 2017 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition IMECE2017, Tampa, FL, USA.10.1115/IMECE2017-71469 ↗
41. Sebastian, B. (2019). Traversability Estimation Techniques for Improved Navigation of Tracked Mobile Robots. [Ph.D. Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University].
42. Williams, A.J. (2018). A Robotic Head Stabilization Device for Post-Trauma Transport. [Master’s Thesis, Virginia Tech].
43. Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Protection: Testing Concept for a Protective Device10.1038/sc.2009.1 ↗
44. Payne, A.R., and Patel, S. (2021, March 15). Injury Mechanisms & Injury Criteria: Head Injury Mechanisms And Injury Criteria. Available online: http://www.eurailsafe.net/subsites/operas/HTML/Section3/Section3.3frm.htm.
45. Herring, C.L. (2014). Rescue Carriers and Drags, Louisiana State University. FETI Drill Guide 14-09.
46. (2021, April 01). Fire Engineering Training Minutes: Webbing and Victim Drag Techniques. Available online: https://www.fireengineering.com/training/training-minutes-webbing-and-victim-drag-techniques/.
47. Finazzo, S. (2021, April 01). Carrying & Dragging Techniques—Lets Get Carried Away. Available online: https://www.offgridweb.com/preparation/carrying-dragging-techniques-lets-get-carried-away/.
48. Hann, A. (2004). A Photographic Guide to Prehospital Spinal Care, Emergency Technologies.
49. Spinal Cord Injury: Preventing Secondary Injury10.4037/15597768-1992-1005 ↗
50. Routine Spinal Immobilization in Trauma Patients: What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages?10.1016/j.surge.2010.01.002 ↗
51. The Out-of-Hospital Validation of the Canadian C-Spine Rule by Paramedics10.1016/j.annemergmed.2009.03.008 ↗
52. Is Spinal Immobilisation Necessary for All Patients Sustaining Isolated Penetrating Trauma?10.1016/S0020-1383(03)00070-6 ↗
53. The Ability of External Immobilizers to Restrict Movement of the Cervical Spine: A Systematic Review10.1007/s00586-016-4379-6 ↗
54. Prehospital Spine Immobilization for Penetrating Trauma—Review and Recommendations from the Prehospital Trauma Life Support Executive Committee10.1097/TA.0b013e3182255cb9 ↗
55. Death on the Battlefield (2001–2011): Implications for the Future of Combat Casualty Care10.1097/TA.0b013e3182755dcc ↗
56. Kwan, I., Bunn, F., and Roberts, I.G. (2001). Spinal Immobilisation for Trauma Patients. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev.10.1002/14651858.CD002803 ↗
57. Cervical Spine Immobilisation in the Elderly: A Literature Review10.1080/02688697.2018.1445828 ↗
58. (2021, March 15). Head Injury Criteria Tolerance Levels. Available online: http://www.eurailsafe.net/subsites/operas/HTML/Section3/Page3.3.1.4.htm.
59. Carlström, V. (2021, March 19). This New Airbag Collar Is a Safer Alternative to the Traditional Bike Helmet—And It’ll Soon Be Available across the Globe. Available online: https://www.businessinsider.com/a-new-inflatable-collar-is-safer-than-the-traditional-bike-helmet-2018-8?r=US&IR=T.
60. (2021, May 14). Nextcrave Hovding Invisible Bike Helmet. Available online: http://www.nextcrave.com/content/999-hovding-invisible-bike-helmet.
61. Sareen, H., Umapathi, U., Shin, P., Kakehi, Y., Ou, J., Ishii, H., and Maes, P. (2017, January 6–11). Printflatables: Printing Human-Scale, Functional and Dynamic Inflatable Objects. Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Denver, CO, USA.10.1145/3025453.3025898 ↗
62. (2021, March 23). Sunrise Medical Salsa M2 Powered Wheelchair. Available online: https://www.sunrisemedical.co.uk/powered-wheelchairs/quickie/power-wheelchairs/quickie-salsa-m2.
63. (2021, March 23). Ooznest Metal Dual V Wheel. Available online: https://ooznest.co.uk/product/metal-dual-v-wheel.
64. (2021, May 13). ResQbot. Available online: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/robot-intelligence/robots/resqbot/.