Memorandum
| From: |
Project Manager |
| To: |
Engineering Intern Team |
| Subject: |
Building the search and
rescue robot |
Now for the fun assignment! I think you have the background
you need to work directly on Innovo’s contract with the
national rescue squad to design, build and test the performance
of a robot that the rescue squad can use. You’ll
remember from the original briefing that the robot will need
to navigate through rubble to locate people trapped in collapsed
buildings and determine their status. The robot will
need to either help lift or move pieces of rubble, or deliver
small needed items until the rescue workers can get to them. The Robot
Challenge Description (doc) describes some of the Engineering
considerations in this complex task.
After examining a number of options, Innovo has partnered with
Carnegie-Mellon University’s robotics institute to use
the Telepresence Robotics Kit (TeRK) as a starting model. We
wanted to build on solid work already done – and you’ll
have plenty of design work to do to customize this model. I
suggest that you have a look at notes from a NASA workshop on
using technologies for search and rescue, and disaster assistance
situations. This will help you understand some of the needs
and the Engineering challenges --
http://dart2.arc.nasa.gov/Exercises/TMR2004/technology.html#robotics
Also, I think you should arrange for a meeting with one or two
of our experts within Innovo to brainstorm how you might add
some capabilities to your robot so it can perform search and
rescue operations more effectively. I don’t
need to tell you about the importance of documentation to capture
the ideas from your discussion. The kinds of questions
and ideas your team should brainstorm:
- What types of technologies are useful in search and rescue
challenges, and what features seem most useful?
- What benefits and limitations do robots have in disaster
assistance?
- Ideas on how you could build and design two complementary
robots that could cooperate to complete the mission successfully
- Initial planning for added robot capabilities
I’d like to see the team’s notes from your brainstorming
session, so record the highlights. Also, do notes in your individual
Engineering Logbook, so you will be able to refer to them later.
Check out the Resources for important information on brainstorming
and project management.
Good luck!
“A robot may not injure
a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come
to harm. [The First Law of Robotics]”(Isaac Asimov ,
1920-1992)
