get inside the debris What looks like a toy tank stops on a pile of concrete It shines two lights and looks with a camera Thirty feet 9 m away an operator moves a DESIGNING ROBOTS STAND UP VGTVs are small robots used for inspection They can lift themselves up The robots move on plastic tracks that change position The tracks move from lying flat to standing up This lets the robots increase in height One model can go from 6 inches 15 cm to 13 5 inches 34 cm tall By changing position the robot can be small enough to get into tight spots but also can have the clearance to see over obstacles This design feature is key to the VGTV’s mission VGTVs also can travel underwater controller and watches her laptop The tanklike robot called a variable geometry tracked vehicle VGTV quickly responds The track along its bottom shifts from flat to vertical This raises the robot so it can peer inside an opening The robot’s camera sends images to the laptop The operator sees a person trapped inside She calls for rescuers and shows
them the location It takes an hour but the person is rescued In disasters robots can go into situations too dangerous for humans Robots provide search-and-rescue assistance on the ground in the air and in the water Rescue robots can help save lives MANY TYPES OF DISASTERS MANY TYPES OF ROBOTS Search and rescue is an operation by emergency services crews It can include trying to find someone who’s lost injured or trapped Hurricanes mudslides earthquakes gas explosions and terror attacks are disasters They often cause a lot of damage Those who are affected can be hard for search-and-rescue teams to reach That’s where robots play a vital role A robot is a machine designed to execute tasks Robots often work quickly and with precision They function in tough dangerous conditions They can work faster and move heavier loads than humans can
They usually are operated by a human with a remote control There are as many types of robots as there are jobs for them to do They have been designed to help with all kinds of disasters But the primary use of search and-rescue robots is to find people Rescuers can send robots into a burning building to look for people Robots can fly over an avalanche site This lets rescuers see if anyone is stranded on the mountain This is why responders say robots make the invisible visible BETTER DESIGNS ENABLE MORE TASKS Some of the first search-and rescue robots were clumsy They lost their balance as their weight shifted This caused them to fall Now robots such as the Minitaur from Ghost Robotics can climb over rocks It can also run and jump Newer robots have overcome another earlier problem Previously they couldn’t perform simple tasks such as opening a door Today’s robots can open doors turn valves or connect hoses They can use tools and climb ladders These tasks can be needed to rescue people
A rescuecopter can drop flotation devices to help save people in the water Some search-and-rescue robots are small so they can fit in tiny spaces They can enter rubble piles to find people trapped underneath Flying robots or drones can provide surveillance or fly over long distances
