Special project on development of advanced robots for disaster response (DDT project)

Natural and man-made disasters are serious problems in every country. Robotics, intelligent machines, systems and devices are highly expected as effective solutions in the future. Special project on development of advanced robots for disaster response (DDT Project) is focused on R&D of robotic solutions for reconnaissance of victim bodies, structural damage and environmental conditions to assist rescue parties in large-scale urban earthquake disasters. This paper introduces an overview of this project and the problem domain of earthquake disasters, search-and-rescue processes and rubble pile characteristics.