August 13, 2015Podcast

Disaster Robot Applications With Robin Murphy

This week on the Disaster Podcast we’re joined by Dr. Robin Murphy from Texas A&M University and the Center for Robotics And Search And Rescue (CRASAR.org). Robin is the expert we have been searching for regarding the use of robots in disaster and search and rescue operations. She literally wrote the book on Disaster Robotics.

Disaster Robot USAR Applications

Hosts Jamie Davis, the Podmedic and Sam Bradley are also joined by Tennessee Task Force One USAR doc Joe Holley, MD. We all know Joe as a regular on the show and one of the amazing educators from our sponsor Paragon Medical Education Group.

Together the panel discusses how robots have been deployed historically at disasters like the World Trade Center on 9/11 and to Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi. They also address the unique challenges associated with using robots in rescue operations. Disaster Robot devices are tools to be used by human rescuers in their tasks and not meant to replace those humans when the time comes to perform actually rescue operations.

Disaster Robot Types

There are several types of disaster robot created for disaster and emergency applications. These include ground robots, water robots, and aerial robots. The aerial robots include fixed-wing and helicopter type drones. All of these various types of robots have been deployed in different disasters around the world and the team at CRASAR are continually working to refine their tools to make them better in both user interface and victim interactions.

Robin also offers to work with local organizations wishing to explore the use of a disaster robot in their training evolutions. The CRASAR team will deploy with a robot as long as they are able to have access to the data collected during the training. This is essential so that the team can continue to refine the hardware and software in their disaster robot devices.

Other Disaster Podcast Episodes on This Topic:

Unmanned Aerial Drones for Disaster Recon, Search and Rescue

Revisiting Robot USAR Applications During Disaster

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Again, a special thank-you to Paragon Medical Education Group for their continued support of this podcast as our partners in this endeavor to bring disaster medicine to you. Check out their page and educational resources that can help your system be more prepared for what happens in your area.

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