Edwardo F. Fukushima

Snakes and Strings: New Robotic Components for Rescue Operations:

The International Rescue System Institute has been established in Japan to promote research and development of key technologies for the realization of practical search-and-rescue robots, anticipating future large-scale earthquakes and other catastrophic disasters. In this paper we propose a new paradigm called “snakes and strings”, for developing practical mobile robot systems that may be useful in such situations. “Snakes” stands for snake-like robots, which can skillfully move among the debris of the collapsed buildings. “Strings”, on the other hand, means robotic systems using strings or tethers, such as proposed in the “hyper-tether” research. Tethers can continuously supply energy, accomplish reliable communication links, and also exhibit high traction force. In this paper we present many new mechanical implementations of snake-like robots developed in our laboratory, and we also explain in detail the new paradigm.

Expliner - Robot for inspection of transmission lines

The inspection of high-voltage transmission lines is a dangerous and time-consuming job, that relies on especially trained workers operating tens of meters above the ground, and close to live lines with thousands of volts. This paper presents the development of a tele-operated robot designed for preventive maintenance of high-voltage lines. The robot was designed with mobility in mind, so that cable spacers, suspension clamps and other obstacles, which so far have prevented the use of robots for inspection of high-voltage lines, would not hamper the operation of the machine. After careful considerations on mobility, the robot was designed, and a prototype was built. Results of tests, performed on facilities reproducing real field conditions, are also presented in this paper.

Development of Helios VII: an arm-equipped tracked vehicle for search and rescue operations

In this research an arm-equipped vehicle for search and rescue operations is presented. The important features for tracked vehicles are introduced through an overview of the solutions so far developed. The concept and the motion capabilities of the new vehicle Helios VII are explained. Afterwards the first assembled prototype is validated by means of mechanical computer simulations and basic experiments on the real vehicle.

Helios VII : a new vehicle for disaster response-mechanical design and basic experiments

Crawler-type vehicles have a considerable importance for rescue operations and tasks performed on disaster-stricken areas. A great deal of research has already been performed on tracked vehicles. However, due to the variety of scenerios in which robots are employed, it is important to design vehicles with high terrain adaptability and that are capable to fulfill different tasks. After an overview of the merits of crawler-type vehicles, the important features of tracked vehicles are introduced and explained. The concept and the mechanical design of a new crawler-type vehicle for rescue operations, named Helios VII, are presented. It consists of two crawlers independently actuated and it is equipped with a manipulator. The novel gripper utilized as an end-effector for the arm is also introduced and tested. Basic experiments on the first assembled prototype are performed to verify the motion capabilities of the vehicle.

HELIOS system: A team of tracked robots for special urban search and rescue operations

Fire brigades and special agencies are often demanded to operate for search and aid of human lives in extremely dangerous scenarios. It is very important to first verify the safety of the environment and to obtain remotely a clear image of the scenario inside buildings or underground spaces. Several studies have been addressing the possibility of using robotic tools to carry out safe operations.

HELIOS IX tracked vehicle for urban search and rescue operations: Mechanical design and first tests

Fire brigades and special rescue agencies are often demanded to operate for search and aid of human lives in extremely dangerous scenarios. The use of robotic tools can make those operations safer for the operators and more efficient in terms of time and allocation of resources. This contribution describes the development of the newest tracked vehicle HELIOS IX. This mobile platform equipped with a manipulator represents the first stage of a Japanese national founded project. It aims to the development of a robotic system to be utilized in extreme environments such as rescue operations in heavily stricken urban areas. With respect to the previous prototypes the mechanical design and the system architecture is described. A new gripper is also introduced and tested together with few mobility experiments of the platform.

Endpoint Vibration Control of a Mobile Mine-Detecting Robotic Manipulator

The procedure for humanitarian land mine removal varies greatly. However, one central element is detecting and marking suspected mine locations using sensors such as trained dogs and metal detectors. This step is expensive, tedious, and dangerous. In order to improve the land mine detection process, a reliable, low-cost robotic manipulation system has been constructed. The system consists of long-reach manipulator mounted on a commercially available All-Terrain Vehicle. The system is capable of autonomously scanning for mines with different types of sensors. An electromagnetic induction metal detector is used in conjunction with ground-penetrating radar to detect metal and larger heterogeneities in the ground, i.e. mine detonators and mine casings, respectively. This sensor combination greatly reduces the number of false alarms over the traditional single-sensor approach. Given the long reach of the arm, the endpoint is susceptible to unwanted oscillations that corrupt the scanning information. This paper describes a control system that utilizes input shaping to improve endpoint tracking. The result is a system that generates high-quality sensor information for precise mine identification.

Expliner - Toward a Practical Robot for Inspection of High-Voltage Lines

Preventive maintenance of high-voltage transmission power lines is a dangerous task, but the obstacles mounted on the lines have so far prevented the automation of this task. Expliner aims to overcome such obstacles by controlling actively the position of its center of mass, thus changing its configuration as needed when moving on the power lines. This work presents the design of Expliner and results of field experiments performed with very high voltages to prove the effectiveness of the proposed concept.

A New Approach to Humanitarian Demining. Part 1: Mobile Platform for Operation on Unstructured Terrain

Landmines can deprive whole areas of valuable resources, and continue to kill and cause injuries years after the end of armed conflicts. Armored vehicles are used for mine clearance, but with limited reliability. The final inspection of minefields is still performed by human deminers exposed to potentially fatal accidents. The aim of this research is to introduce automation as a way to improve the final level of humanitarian demining. This paper addresses mobility and manipulation, while sensing, communication and visualization shall be discussed in detail in a subsequent paper. After analyzing the merits and limitations of previous works, a new approach to tele-operated demining is considered, using off-road buggies equipped with combustion engines, and taking into account actual field requirements. Control of the automated buggies on rough terrain is also discussed, as well as the development of a new weight-balanced manipulator for landmine clearance operations.

Proposal for automation of humanitarian demining with buggy robots

Landmines represent a clear threat to the civilian population in war-ravaged countries, and hamper peacekeeping and reconstruction efforts. The seriousness of this issue demands immediate automation of the mine detection and removal tasks, but until now only partial mechanization has been available. This paper proposes a versatile and feasible automated system based on mobile platforms to improve humanitarian demining, taking into account field requirements. Details of the development of the mobile platforms are presented, as well as experimental results. Special tools and components, also briefly described, are under development in order to maximize the range of applications of this system.