Search and rescue with robotic assistance: KUKA presents research project at European Robotics Forum
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.
18 February 2020
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.
About the 2020 European Robotics Forum
The eleventh European Robotics Forum will be held at the Palacio de Ferias de Málaga this year. During some 50 workshops, leading experts from industry, business and research as well as European political representatives will exchange ideas revolving around new technologies.
At the accompanying exhibition, companies, universities and institutes will have the opportunity to provide an insight into current research and projects. The event is initiated by the European robotics association “euRobotics aisbl”, in which KUKA plays a leading role.
Prestigious awards are also presented at the EFR, including the euRobotics Entrepreneurship Award for the most promising robotics start-up, the euRobotics Technology Transfer Award for the best outcome of a collaborative project between research and industry, and the euRobotics George Giralt PhD Award for the best European dissertation. Independent panels of experts with representatives from research and industry select the finalists from a large number of applications.
