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Robin Murphy 11 March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. [For more information, see Page 9.] CRASAR worked with the National Science Foundation and the International Rescue Systems Institute to inspect damage at Japanese ports and the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. Murphy herself completed two different robotics missions in Japan after the natural disasters and chronicled the events on her director’s blog for CRASAR. Robin Murphy speaks at AUVSI Day on Capitol Hill in 2010. AUVSI photo.
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obin Murphy began her career in robotics as a graduate student at Georgia Tech University working under Ron Arkin. But she initially didn’t see herself as a robot person. “I thought [artificial intelligence] for robotics was stupid but the alternative,” Murphy admits. “Within two months I had fallen in love with robotics and artificial intelligence, and I’ve never thought of doing anything else.” Now, as director of the Center for Robotic Assisted Search and Rescue at Texas A&M University, she’s seen the role that unmanned systems have played in disaster settings for nearly a decade. CRASAR has seen a need for robots at 15 disasters, five of which occurred outside the U.S., since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. “Ground, aerial and sea robotics have been used internationally since the World Trade Center collapse,” Murphy says. “I’ve been to over a dozen disasters myself. The MSHA [Mine Safety and Health Administration] has used robotics at several mine disasters. Land, sea and aerial vehicles of all sizes are available. It’s more [about] matching the robots to the specific objectives of each agency or team.” Recently, Murphy’s team traveled to Japan to help with relief efforts after the 44
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“I think partnerships between academia, industry and agencies are essential,” Murphy says. “Industry can incorporate the advances being made by academia to meet the needs of agencies.” One of the needs that stands out to Murphy is the demand for better sensor technology in first responder robots. For instance, the remotely operated vehicles used in Japan use sonars, which makes it difficult to interpret data or “see” in murky waters. In the air, Honeywell’s T-Hawk unmanned air vehicle had video capabilities but no radar or range system for obstacle avoidance.
can be a snake and wiggle into areas, claw openings in the rubble, have all the advantages of legged locomotion and fantastic balance as the rubble shifts,” Murphy says. Beyond technology, the industry needs to come up with innovative ways to drive down the cost of producing these search and rescue robots. Murphy explains that funding for these systems has traditionally come from the federal government. Roboticists typically use government money to pay for any system that costs more than $30,000, but Murphy says first responder robots tend to cost between $50,000 and $150,000.
“I think partnerships between academia, industry and agencies are essential. Industry can incorporate the advances being made by academia to meet the needs of agencies.” - Robin Murphy
“Everyone always starts by creating new forms of mobility but ignores sensing, keeping sensors clean, sensor fusion, perception … all of which impact the ability for the robot to operate intelligently or to assist with understanding and mission tasks,” Murphy says.
“The future of the industry depends on government funding,” Murphy says. “The size of the pool of money and the duration will influence the industry. I’d like to see a large pool set aside for 10 years to allow response teams to upgrade every three years, just like the computers they are.”
Murphy says sensory improvements should happen in two stages. First, roboticists must tackle the issue of what Murphy calls “perception at a distance,” which allows the robot to interact with victims and the environment. Next, robots must master “action at a distance,” moving through rubble while providing accurate sensing, location and mapping data. Murphy points to Carnegie Mellon University and Georgia Tech as prime examples of these developments.
For CRASAR, Murphy sees opportunities for growth in the education sector and through the program Roboticists Without Borders. CRASAR members used to offer numerous rescue awareness classes in the wake of 9/11. They have also collaborated with Japanese roboticists in three robotics events in the last 10 years.
“I still want a robot ferret, something that
“But as the money for rescue robots never materialized and the standards for robots have not been finalized, interest faded,” Murphy says. “But Japan has reignited interest.”