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Department
of Homeland Security
Urban Search and Rescue Robot Performance Standards
About
the Program
FEMA
Responders often face daunting challenges during search and rescue tasks
in dangerous environments. As such, the concept of including robots
as a part of the responders' tool cache is being accepted, as robots
have the potential of helping take responders out of harm's way and
augmenting their capabilities. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate has initiated an effort
with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop
comprehensive standards related to the development, testing, and certification
of effective technologies for Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) robotics.
These US&R robotic performance standards cover sensing, mobility,
navigation, planning, integration, and operator control in order to
ensure that the robots can meet operational requirements under the extremely
challenging conditions that rescuers are faced with, including long
endurance missions. Where appropriate, the standards will also address
issues of robotic component interoperability to reduce costs. The US&R
robotic standards effort focuses on fostering collaboration between
first responders, robot vendors, other government agencies, and technology
developers to advance consensus standards for task specific robot capabilities
and interoperability of components. These standards will allow DHS to
provide guidance to local, state, and Federal homeland security entities
regarding the purchase, deployment and use of robots for US&R applications.
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