Spidey Sense

Back to PRE2018 3 Group8

Problem statement

On January the 27th, a building in The Hague exploded due to gas leak. It took the aid workers eight hours to save all residents. The time it takes to localize the victims and to remove the rubble is of great importance for the health of the victims. Aid workers can not always estimate the critical situation of a disaster area well enough, because they do not have enough information to act upon. Victims can be helped quicker if aid workers would be able to operate in small spaces with the right equipment.

Objectives

The following objects are SMART objectives.

• The solution should localize the victims of a disaster area
• The solution should be ready for use
• The solution should be tiny/small
• The solution should be adaptable
• The solution should be strong (enough for mechanical loads)
• The solution should be autonomous
• The solution should be user-friendly
• The solution should be able to function in an unknown and dynamic environment
• The solution should be durable

Users & User needs

Primary users

Non-profit organisations

Non-profit organisations, e.g. the Red Cross, can give workshops/education about the use of the robot.

Needs

• Safety
• More volunteers

Aid Workers

They actually use the robot in the field.

Needs

• Working quicker, because the robot is ready for use
• Own safety
• More information/data about the situation in critical conditions

Secondary users

Volunteers

Family members, friends, neighbours and others who help with the search.

Needs

• Safety while trying to search for survivors/victims.

Victims

Victims of a post-disaster area. They interact with the rescue robot.

Needs

• Victims need the medical aid as fast as possible.

Tertiary users

Government

The government finances the search and rescue.

Needs

• Lower (medical) costs
• Less casualties

Hospitals

Hospitals where the victims are hospitalized.

Needs

• Quicker discharge of patients

USE Aspects

Users

Society

Enterprise

Approach, milestones and deliverables

Approach

To tackle this project, we started with extensive research on the state of the art. This is done by examining the current literature on the subject. These examined papers outline the current state of the problem, solutions to these problems, and their flaws.

After obtaining a better view on the problem at hand, the USE (user, society and enterprise) aspects are analyzed, to determine why this problem is relevant. These three aspects should always be kept in mind during each stage of the project. These aspects may sometimes ask for different solutions to the same problem, so they must be analyzed to determine which aspect should be taken into account more, and compromises must be made. Also different subproblems may ask for different USE aspects, but two solutions from two subproblems may not always be able to be combined, meaning that choices must be made.

After having analyzed the USE aspects, a scenario will be made where the robot shows of its capabilities, and multiple persona’s will also be made who come into contact with the robot. Research has also been done about the interaction between rescue robots and the human victims. These papers will be used and important factors for the product to have will be determined.

Then, we will start the production of our own spider robot. As with each project with a tangible deliverable, the robot starts off as a sketch. Multiple designs will be made, and the best one will be chosen. This will most likely be done by making simplified prototypes. Another option is creating only parts of the robot like the legs. After this is done the necessary components will be analyzed and subsequently tested. After we know that the different components work, they will be assembled into our final product. After obtaining a finished product it will be tested and evaluated. If improvement is needed, the product will be improved. This does mean that planning of the different tasks is crucial. The sub-components should be finished on time so they can be tested and assembled into one product. Therefore the different parts will be created as early as possible. This can clearly be seen in the planning.

During the whole process, a report will be written in which the process is outlined in a more detailed manner, and which also follows our progress. This report will also more finely describe the problem and the solutions. Because this is done alongside the creation of the actual prototype, planning is important again. Some people will be working on the product and some on the report. This also means clear communication is of utmost importance. Alongside each progress meeting, the group will come together once or twice a week to discuss what has already been done and what should still be worked on. This way it will become clear if the goals will be reached in time and the project is on track.

After all this is done a presentation will be prepared and presented, the wiki will be done, and all deliverables will be handed in.

Milestones

• Decide on subject (06/02/19)
• Formulate problem statement (11/02/19)
• Finish literature study
• Finish sketches of product
• Finish assembly of product
• Present product
• Finalize the wiki

Deliverables

• Wiki (report)
• Final presentation
• A prototype

Planning

PLANNING

Week 1	Literature study (Gialesi, Lotte, Mark, Romy)	Problem statement (Everybody)	Define users and user needs (Everybody)		Make planning (Noor)	Update Wiki (Romy)
Week 2		List of sensors and components (Gialesi, Noor)	Scenario/persona's (Lotte)	Make designs (Everybody)	Analyze USE aspects (Romy)
Week 3	Assembly of product (Gialesi, Lotte, Noor, Mark)	Test sensors (Gialesi)		Write report (Everybody)
Week 4
Week 5 (Carnaval)
Week 6		Test prototype (Noor)
Week 7	Improve prototype (Gialesi, Lotte, Noor, Mark)	Evaluate Prototype (Mark)		Prepare presentation (Lotte)
Week 8
Week 9	Presentation		Hand in deliverables

Who's doing what?

• Lotte Hollander: writing report + wiki, graphic design, prototyping
• Romy Lauwers: writing report + wiki, literature, photoshop
• Mark Wijnands: mechanics, control, 3D design
• Noor Schroen: programming, electronics
• Gialesi Notkamp: programming, electronics

State-of-the-Art

Spider Robot and Motion:
[1] This paper looks at certain safe points where the spider robot can place its feet and where not in a plane.
[2] This paper looks at certain points where the spider can and cannot place its feet.
[3] This paper looks at a spider robot that climbs autonomously in pipelines. Could be useful for the small spaces.
[4] This paper is about the capabilities of the spider and studies the foot force and torque distribution of the spider in different conditions and compares the leg configurations in order to minimize the torque effort.
[5] This paper discusses foot designs and fabrication for use with a spider-inspired climbing robot.
[6] This paper is about a four-legged spider robot that learns how to move in its environment and reacts to physical changes.
[7] This article discusses a dragline-forming robot inspired by spiders
[8] This is the site of Robugtix. This company has a small spider robot, which can make smooth, life-like motions. The toy comes equipped with a 3D printed body, 26 motors, and microcontroller board pre-loaded with the Bigfoot™ Inverse Kinematics Engine.
[9] This paper focusses on a spider-imitated robot used for rescue

Relevant Rescue Robots
[10] This paper is about a rescue robot with debris opening function
[11] This paper is about MOIRA the Mobile Inspection robot for Rescue Activities.
[12] This paper is about a robot that can move the debris.
[13] This patent is about an all-terrain rescue and disaster-relief robot.
[14] This paper discusses an aerial search and rescue robot and its application to a specific earthquake.
[15] This paper is about modular, reconfigurable rescue robots.
[16] This article describes a so called WALK-MAN robot in post-earthquake scenario's.
[17] This patent is for an autonomous detection system and method of rescue robot in disaster area for complex environment
[18] This patent is for a full topography intelligence rescue robot with self-balancing objective table
[19] This patent is about an emergency relief goods transporting robot
[20] This article presents several different types of robots that can be easily deployed in rescue operations

Disaster Rescue
[21] This patent focusses on a method for priority evaluation for robots under disaster rescue environment
[22] This article is about a challenge that aims to accelerate the development of robots that can help humans, not only with nuclear emergencies but also with fires, floods, earthquakes, chemical spills, and other kinds of natural and man-made disasters.
[23] This patent is about video search and a rescue robot based on ZigBee wireless positioning and search and rescue method
[24] This article discusses a simulation project for disaster rescue

Rescue robot interaction
[25] This paper provides a short tutorial on how robots are currently used in urban search and rescue and discusses some robot-human interaction issues encountered over the past eight years.
[26] This paper talks about non-facial and non-verbal affective expressions for appearance-constrained robots.
[27] This paper presents findings from field trials observing human-robot interaction between certified rescue workers and two types of tactical mobile robots at a rescue training site.

Prototypes of a spider robot
[28] This paper is about a high tech spider prototype, mady by reseachers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA. The prototype will provide emergency responders with an image of the situation on the ground, along with any data about poisonous substances. Future plans envision its use as an exploratory tool in environments that are too hazardous for humans, or too difficult to get to. Furthermore, the prototype is very cheap to produce.
[29] This site has an instruction guide to print 3D parts of a spider robot with four legs. It is possible to place an arduino in the middle of the design.
[30] This patent is for a novel rescue robot that can efficiently walk in a complex post-disaster area through a design of a spider-like structure

Robots with interesting factors
[31] This robot is portable and foldable and quickly carried in a backpack to a site where inspection, exploration, search and rescue, and other tasks are required to performed.

Regulation
[32] Regulation and entrainment in human-robot interaction