Design and Implementation of a Semi-Autonomous Snake Robot for Search and Rescue Operations

Project no. 32887 · Status: Kapanmış · 2025

Summary

<p>This&nbsp;project&nbsp;focuses&nbsp;on&nbsp;the&nbsp;design&nbsp;and&nbsp;production&nbsp;of&nbsp;an&nbsp;autonomous&nbsp;snake&nbsp;robot&nbsp;to&nbsp;assist&nbsp;search&nbsp;and&nbsp;rescue&nbsp;teams.&nbsp;Search&nbsp;and&nbsp;rescue&nbsp;teams&nbsp;currently&nbsp;carry&nbsp;out&nbsp;their&nbsp;operations&nbsp;without&nbsp;the&nbsp;use&nbsp;of&nbsp;advanced&nbsp;technology,&nbsp;which&nbsp;results&nbsp;in&nbsp;a&nbsp;loss&nbsp;of&nbsp;time&nbsp;when&nbsp;attempting&nbsp;to&nbsp;reach&nbsp;people&nbsp;trapped&nbsp;under&nbsp;rubble,&nbsp;thereby&nbsp;leading&nbsp;to&nbsp;loss&nbsp;of&nbsp;life.&nbsp;With&nbsp;this&nbsp;robot,&nbsp;search&nbsp;and&nbsp;rescue&nbsp;operations&nbsp;can&nbsp;be&nbsp;carried&nbsp;out&nbsp;more&nbsp;efficiently,&nbsp;allowing&nbsp;for&nbsp;quicker&nbsp;access&nbsp;to&nbsp;individuals&nbsp;trapped&nbsp;under&nbsp;rubble,&nbsp;thereby&nbsp;reducing&nbsp;loss&nbsp;of&nbsp;life.&nbsp;Snake&nbsp;robots&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;literature&nbsp;are&nbsp;quite&nbsp;challenging&nbsp;to&nbsp;control,&nbsp;requiring&nbsp;multiple&nbsp;operators,&nbsp;and&nbsp;as&nbsp;they&nbsp;use&nbsp;wheeled&nbsp;or&nbsp;biomimetic&nbsp;control&nbsp;mechanisms&nbsp;for&nbsp;movement,&nbsp;they&nbsp;are&nbsp;not&nbsp;suitable&nbsp;for&nbsp;search&nbsp;and&nbsp;rescue&nbsp;operations.&nbsp;Whilst&nbsp;a&nbsp;wheeled&nbsp;movement&nbsp;mechanism&nbsp;enables&nbsp;rapid&nbsp;movement,&nbsp;it&nbsp;performs&nbsp;poorly&nbsp;on&nbsp;uneven&nbsp;terrain.&nbsp;Biomimetic&nbsp;movement,&nbsp;whilst&nbsp;successful&nbsp;in&nbsp;challenging&nbsp;environments,&nbsp;is&nbsp;too&nbsp;slow&nbsp;for&nbsp;search&nbsp;and&nbsp;rescue&nbsp;operations.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Archimedes&nbsp;screw&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;used&nbsp;as&nbsp;the&nbsp;movement&nbsp;mechanism&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;snake&nbsp;robot&nbsp;under&nbsp;development&nbsp;will&nbsp;provide&nbsp;stable&nbsp;and&nbsp;fast&nbsp;movement&nbsp;in&nbsp;difficult&nbsp;and&nbsp;rugged&nbsp;terrain,&nbsp;whilst&nbsp;the&nbsp;Reinforcement&nbsp;Learning&nbsp;algorithm&nbsp;will&nbsp;simplify&nbsp;the&nbsp;robot’s&nbsp;control.&nbsp;As&nbsp;a&nbsp;result,&nbsp;search&nbsp;and&nbsp;rescue&nbsp;operations&nbsp;will&nbsp;gain&nbsp;speed,&nbsp;locating&nbsp;survivors&nbsp;will&nbsp;become&nbsp;easier,&nbsp;and&nbsp;consequently,&nbsp;loss&nbsp;of&nbsp;life&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;prevented.&nbsp;As&nbsp;Reinforcement&nbsp;Learning&nbsp;will&nbsp;simplify&nbsp;the&nbsp;robot’s&nbsp;control,&nbsp;this&nbsp;will&nbsp;pave&nbsp;the&nbsp;way&nbsp;for&nbsp;the&nbsp;wider&nbsp;adoption&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;technology.&nbsp;This&nbsp;robot&nbsp;aims&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;the&nbsp;first&nbsp;project&nbsp;to&nbsp;adapt&nbsp;Reinforcement&nbsp;Learning-based&nbsp;control,&nbsp;combined&nbsp;with&nbsp;an&nbsp;Archimedes&nbsp;Screw&nbsp;propulsion&nbsp;system,&nbsp;for&nbsp;Search&nbsp;and&nbsp;Rescue&nbsp;Operations.&nbsp;The&nbsp;objectives&nbsp;of&nbsp;this&nbsp;project&nbsp;are&nbsp;to&nbsp;enhance&nbsp;the&nbsp;effectiveness&nbsp;of&nbsp;search&nbsp;and&nbsp;rescue&nbsp;operations&nbsp;in&nbsp;disaster&nbsp;zones,&nbsp;minimize&nbsp;loss&nbsp;of&nbsp;life&nbsp;by&nbsp;reaching&nbsp;people&nbsp;trapped&nbsp;under&nbsp;rubble&nbsp;more&nbsp;quickly,&nbsp;and&nbsp;promote&nbsp;the&nbsp;widespread&nbsp;use&nbsp;of&nbsp;high-tech&nbsp;solutions&nbsp;in&nbsp;this&nbsp;field.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

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