Robot evaluates safety issues
Soldiers and first responders may soon have a better way to evaluate the interior of dangerous structures, thanks to a joint project between the Missouri University of Science and Technology (S&T) and the University of Missouri-Columbia.
As part of the project, students at Missouri S&T have built a remote-controlled robot that is equipped with an infrared camera and LIDAR (light detection and ranging) technology, which sends out multiple laser points that bounce off objects and provide feedback. The LIDAR-equipped robot then wirelessly relays detailed images to a laptop computer.
‘We can get a 3D map of rooms by sending the robot inside or having it look through a window,’ said Dr Norbert Maerz, associate professor of geological engineering at Missouri S&T. ‘Even when you can’t see through windows, you can still scan through them with LIDAR. Using this information, soldiers or first responders could evaluate safety issues and determine strategies.’
Maerz and his students have used their prototype to map the inside of houses, businesses, Missouri S&T buildings, chambers in S&T’s Experimental Mine and cave passages in the Mark Twain National Forest.
‘In theory, you could deploy this technology inside caves where terrorists might be hiding,’ Maerz said.
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