Rescue robots are one application for which there has been much excitement during the last decade. These robots are designed to be small and versatile carrying a comprehensive sensor payload in order to detect victims under heavy debris in disaster areas. Everyone who has watched the news after a major earthquake or hurricane with many buildings destroyed can easily understand the need for such robots as rescuers are frantically searching for survivors under heavy debris.

Researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology have recently proposed a new type of rescue robot that is capable of not only detecting victims in need of help but also clearing and lifting heavy debris to reach them.

The prototype robot named Bari-bari-II has a unique design that allows it to navigate over and lift debris. Its front is designed to have a step structure which can grip on debris, lift it and move under it. Once under, the robot uses oil hydraulic power to lift up to 600Kgrs. Like traditional rescue robots, a sensor payload consisting of a camera and microphone help rescuers to find victims in the rumble. The robot weighs 25Kgrs and it measures 48x28x14cm in size. Rescuers can use more than one robots at the same time to lift even heavier debris.

The video below gives an overview of Bari-bari-II rescue robot showing it in action in a simulated disaster situation.

One of the most promising application areas for robotics and more specifically miniature and nano robotics is in medicine. Whether the tiny robots are specifically designed to deliver medications or directly attack viruses, their usefulness in prolonging our lives and eliminating the pain and suffering of disease is indisputable. I am always happy to read about recent advances in medical robotics that bring us one step closer to such devices. This post is about HeartLander, a miniature medical robot under development at CMU's Robotics Institute; the robot is designed for performing minimally invasive cardiac therapy.

So how does the robot work?

Basically, a surgeon creates a small incision on the patient's chest. Using a pair of forceps, the surgeon places the robot directly on the beating heart. Using a joystick, he can then guide the robot delivering medicine directly to affected areas, helping to attach pacemaker electrodes or even assisting with specialized techniques for curing arrhythmia. The worm-like robot moves using an ingenious mechanism driven by miniature ultrasonic piezoelectric motors.

Although the robot is still a proof of concept, the CMU research team has been able to demonstrate its use on a pig's beating heart (see the video at the end of this post.) The team still has to work out a number of issues such as the development of wireless remote control mechanism in order to eliminate the reliance on a tether whose stiffness causes problems with locomotion. The same tether is used to supply energy to HeartLander although a future production version would most likely utilize an on-board battery. This is an excellent and very promising research project and I am looking forward to the next generation of HeartLander.



Note: The image and video are copyright CMU.