MATRO: A robust, low-cost rescue robot designed for rapid deployment in developing countries

Abstract

Deployment of Rescue Robots in post-disaster situations is ubiquitous in developed countries. However, in developing countries, the rescue process is still incredibly human intensive. As a result, many times both rescuers and victims get injured and often killed in the rescue process. Even though heavy machineries are used to remove the debris, it is a time-consuming process and many victims lose the lives or injuries deteriorate due to the ensuing delay. This paper considers the entire situation and proposes a low budget yet more robust and efficient rescue robot which can be deployed in a post disaster situation to remove debris so that the paths to reach the victims can be cleared faster and they can be saved without putting the life of the human rescuers in danger. This robot is specialized in its mechanical design along with its modularity, cost, robustness and functional efficiencies. The materials used for robot construction are readily available in many developing countries.