Yuta: Human Detecting Bot for Disaster Assistance

an automated or manually controlled human-detecting robot, capable of assisting in rescue operations and increasing rescue efficiency

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  • Philippines

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  • CHALLENGE #1 Emergency Applications

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Description

1. Oneliner

  • The researchers want to develop a protoype land-based semi-automatic human detecting robot, which is critical for locating potential disaster survivors.

2. Solution and Use case

  • Natural disasters are menacing problems that we face in our current day and age. They can cause damages and even take the lives of people important to our life. Millions of people are affected by natural disasters every year, and their impact can be unimaginable(Davis, 2010).
  • The Philippines encompasses a high vulnerability to natural hazards which are attributed to the nation’s geographic position in Southeast Asia. Natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and fires affect the country. Volcanic eruptions and tsunamis are associated with continental plate activity because of its geologically active areas, it is nicknamed “The Ring of Fire”. It’s not only the citizens who are affected and at-risk but also the rescuers who respond in times of these disasters that try to aid and rescue the said people face more risk due to far more difficult situations they handle(CEDMH, 2018).
  •  During and after a disaster, 3 out of 10 rescuers died due to difficult places to be reached and difficult situations they had to encounter(GMA Network, 2013). Rescuers go directly in the center of a disaster to save lives, it is by no means safe because there are a lot of hazards these people face when trying to do their job like physical/chemical hazards. These risks will be reduced with the use of robots since there is no human that is directly going inside a disaster zone and the robot can discern whether it is safe for human rescuers to proceed. According to Adam Epsteim, In 2015 a technology developed by NASA and the US Department of Homeland Security designed to save people trapped by debris in natural disasters has been used in the field for the first time. FINDER (Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response) lived up to its name, locating and saving four people trapped under rubble for days after the 7.8 earthquake in Nepal killed more than 7,000 people and injured countless others (Adam Epstein, 2015). 
  • Hence, this study aimed to produce a human-detecting robot that can locate possible casualties and send its location to the authorities. This study does have an edge in this specific situation, it’s durable, more accurate feedback, because of GNSS and it’s cheap, though it’s just a prototype, it can be used in real-life situations. 

3. Robot Methods

4. Use of GNSS

  • The rescuer will have a better and more accurate location of the disaster victim thanks to the use of Galileo(GNSS), which is very good, for saving people's lives with no wasted time.

5. Specific use of Galileo

  • Multiple satellites ensure accuracy, redundancy, and availability at all times.
  • GNSS services that will be used:
    • Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OS-NMA)
    • High Accuracy Service (HAS)

6. Market potential

  • For our market potential, the targeted people or agencies are the following: 
    • DRRM- Disaster Risk Reduction Management
    • NDRMMC- National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
    • Municipalities/Cities
    • Rescue Agencies
  • And as for this project's revenue, its estimated cost for the robot will be 12,000 pesos to 15,000 pesos and an estimated 20,000 pieces of product that can be bought from municipalities and rescue agencies and it generates a total addressable market of 240 Million – 300 Million pesos.

7. Innovation factor

  • In the Philippines, a high- vulnerability to disastrous events always take place. Natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and fires affect the country. Rescue and operations are needed for such disastrous events and as we all know that in the Philippines, rescuers go directly to the center of a disaster to save lives, it is by no means safe because there are a lot of hazards these people face. These risk will be reduced by a human detecting robot that isn’t still available in the Philippines because of its price, that’s why this robot that detects and locate people in a hazardous area and for its inexpensive price it could be a huge help in local places in such disastrous events.

8. Technical back-end

  • First, the researcher will locate and collect the necessary components for use in the robot, as well as program it to perform the required tasks.
  • The researcher will ensure that the appropriate GNSS-connected module is used so that it can send and receive critical information (from robot to GNSS and then to authorities.)  
  • The researchers will use Arduino components and modules such as GPS and GSM(as 2nd or backup up module) and Specific GNSS services(HAS,OS-NMA)as main module or component, which will be programmed using the Arduino IDE; while this is a prototype, it can be used in a real-world scenario.

9. Proof of concept

  • Measuring the maximum Angle of inclination of Dry Terrain
  •  Measuring the maximum Angle of inclination of Wet Terrain
  • Angle of Inclination
  • Accuracy of the Instances Yuta detects infrared(PIR) from a possible Survivor
  • Time for GSM and GPS to transfer Information
  • Sample Image from an Onboard Camera
  • GNSS Services Test(HAS, OS-NMA)
    • Not available yet
      • Reason:

10. Team

  • In our team, Al Franz Macasil, the team leader, the one who suggested the title, also the one who's responsible for the robot program. John Willmarf Tiu, the one who did the majority of the research, takes charge of summarization in any information that will come to the team or any information needed by the team. Lastly, Kenn Angelo Tecson, the material/build specialist, is the one who's responsible for the design, gathering of materials needed, and keeping track and organizing all of the materials/building elements, and being in charge of building the robot circuitry.

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