1 research outputs found
Design and Implementation of a Maxi-Sized Mobile Robot (Karo) for Rescue Missions
Rescue robots are expected to carry out reconnaissance and dexterity
operations in unknown environments comprising unstructured obstacles. Although
a wide variety of designs and implementations have been presented within the
field of rescue robotics, embedding all mobility, dexterity, and reconnaissance
capabilities in a single robot remains a challenging problem. This paper
explains the design and implementation of Karo, a mobile robot that exhibits a
high degree of mobility at the side of maintaining required dexterity and
exploration capabilities for urban search and rescue (USAR) missions. We first
elicit the system requirements of a standard rescue robot from the frameworks
of Rescue Robot League (RRL) of RoboCup and then, propose the conceptual design
of Karo by drafting a locomotion and manipulation system. Considering that,
this work presents comprehensive design processes along with detail mechanical
design of the robot's platform and its 7-DOF manipulator. Further, we present
the design and implementation of the command and control system by discussing
the robot's power system, sensors, and hardware systems. In conjunction with
this, we elucidate the way that Karo's software system and human-robot
interface are implemented and employed. Furthermore, we undertake extensive
evaluations of Karo's field performance to investigate whether the principal
objective of this work has been satisfied. We demonstrate that Karo has
effectively accomplished assigned standardized rescue operations by evaluating
all aspects of its capabilities in both RRL's test suites and training suites
of a fire department. Finally, the comprehensiveness of Karo's capabilities has
been verified by drawing quantitative comparisons between Karo's performance
and other leading robots participating in RRL