Development of a Networked Robotic System for Disaster Mitigation, -Navigation System based on 3D Geometry Acquisition

In this paper the authors present the current progress of a networked robotic system intended to be deployed at disaster areas. This system is formed by three mobile robots: two twin crawlers that will have search-and-recognition tasks gathering information about their surroundings, and an outdoor-wheeled rover that will approach the area and which will also carry the two crawlers. The communication system for these robots consists of a wireless local area network that will have an operator located at a safe distance controlling them. As a final communication objective, the integration of a satellite-based IP communication, linked to the Japanese satellite ETS-VIII is scheduled. In order to be able to navigate the crawlers remotely, a wireless LAN camera and a Laser Range Finder (LRF) sensor have been mounted on both of the crawlers. These LRFs will scan the area where the crawler is at, obtaining a detailed point-based 3D image. A special focus of this paper is made on the possibility of maneuvering the crawlers based only on the remotely-acquired LRF and camera's information.