Multi-floor danger and responsiveness assessment with autonomous legged robots in catastrophic scenarios

In this work, we propose a strategy to implement the first two steps of the DRABC paradigm (Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation) used by rescuers in Search and Rescue (SAR) with the use of a mobile quadruped robot. The robot is programmed to autonomously explore and create a map of the environment with the main objective of identifying areas of danger and reporting them to rescuers (first step of DRABC). While completing this first goal the robot must also identify people still inside the building, mark their position but also evaluate the health state of the person and in particular the response (second step of DRABC). Specifically, we propose new strategies for SAR considering that autonomous behaviour is particularly relevant before the human rescuers arrive: therefore, the policy adopted should privilege covering a broader area in the available time, rather than exploring a smaller area in depth. Strategies have been tested with the Spot robot from Boston Dynamics concerning both exploration and health assessment. The software developed and the tests to validate it are thoroughly described and explained.