Search and rescue with robotic assistance: KUKA presents research project at European Robotics Forum
February 25, 2020
From 3 to 5 March, more than 1000 experts will meet in Málaga, Spain, at the European Robotics Forum (ERF), the most influential meeting of the European robotics community. KUKA is showcasing a research project there for search and rescue operations.
Together with the University of Málaga, KUKA is presenting an application that ad-dresses the rescue and recovery of persons. In most cases, buried victims can only be located remotely. Without the possibility of contact, however, signs of life are hard to detect. The university’s research project deals with possible approaches to solving this problem.
In the application, a KUKA LBR iiwa lightweight robot grasps the wrist of a buried victim – simulated by a human dummy. Using a specially trained neural network, the application recognizes the wrist even in a chaotic environment. Through the combination of a compliant robot arm and intelligent image processing, the robot gripper can either directly measure vital functions, such as pulse or blood pressure, or place a special wristband on the wrist in order to establish contact with the buried victim in preparation for rescue.
