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When buildings collapse, the resulting rubble may trap live victims underneath it, entombing them. Voids beneath the rubble may allow victims to stay alive. However, chances of survival dramatically decrease following the initial 24 hours after a disaster occurs. Hence, first responders must act quickly to rescue live victims. The work presented showcases enhancements to an autonomous access hole...
Background α3β1 integrin is overexpressed in several types of human cancer and is associated with poor prognosis, metastasis, and resistance to cancer treatment. We previously identified a cyclic peptide ligand LXY1 that specifically binds to the α3β1 integrin on human glioblastoma U-87MG cells. Here, we optimized LXY1 through one-bead one-compound combinatorial library screening and site-specific...
Mobile and aerial robots used in urban search and rescue (USAR) operations have shown the potential for allowing us to explore, survey and assess collapsed structures effectively at a safe distance. RGB-D cameras, such as the Microsoft Kinect, allow us to capture 3D depth data in addition to RGB images, providing a significantly richer user experience than flat video, which may provide improved situational...
A Destroyed Environment (DE) is created by disastrous events in the built environment. DEs typically consist of the structures created from the rubble of collapsed buildings—forming a chaotic, unplanned and unmapped environment in which emergency first responders must find the surviving occupants who may now be trapped and hidden within. The more knowledge that search teams have concerning the resulting...
The collapse of buildings and other structures in heavily populated areas often result in multiple human victims becoming trapped within the resulting rubble. This rubble is often unstable, difficult to traverse and dangerous for first responders who are tasked with finding and extricating victims through access holes in the rubble. Recent work in scene mapping and reconstruction using RGB-D data...
A 3D map of the interior of a disaster site that pinpoints the location of trapped victims would greatly aid search and rescue efforts. We propose using a canine-mounted RGB-D sensor, a trained rescue dog can carry an image sensor through the site to build a 3D model useful for rescuers. However, the registration of the data provides challenges beyond those typically faced in scene reconstruction...
One of the many challenges in developing ground response robots for Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) is endowing them with mobility that allows traversal of challenging terrain. In a preliminary study we introduced a new approach to the mobility problem that utilizes USAR dogs to deliver robots close to human victims in rubble. The results indicated that some search dogs are able to carry a small robot...
Under rubble communication is a well-known difficult problem. This is due to a number of inherent difficulties including plentiful and diverse physical obstacles that challenge both wired and wireless communication. Our previous work has shown that it is possible to use Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) dogs to deliver emergency supplies, robots and surveillance equipment to a patient trapped in rubble...
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has the potential to significantly improve the situation awareness of emergency first responders working at urban disaster sites. Having the characteristics of being small, light-weight and quickly deployable, UAVs offer the ability to fly over an urban disaster and provide intelligence to Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) task force efforts before precious...
In this paper we discuss several methods for the creation of 3D models that can provide additional information to robot operators in order to improve their situation awareness of the robot being teleoperated. We derive the 3D models from spatial data gathered from an inexpensive, readily available, video game sensor. In addition, the paper introduces a new method for feature extraction as part of...
This paper presents the work on Drop and EXplore (DEX), a small rescue robot to be used in Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) operations. Unlike other rescue robots, DEX was designed to be used in tandem with trained USAR canines. The development of DEX was part of a new concept called Canine Assisted Robot Deployment (CARD). CARD utilizes search canines to deliver robots close to the casualties trapped...
In Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) operations the search for survivors must occur before rescue operations can proceed. Two methods that can be used to search in rubble are trained search dogs and specialized response robots (sometimes called rescue robots). Rescue robots are used to collect information about trapped people within a disaster like a collapsed building. Information from them can help...
A balance of signals generated via stimulatory and inhibitory NK receptors determines both target cell specificity and the outcome of NK–target cell interactions. The feasibility of introducing naturally occurring or genetically engineered chimeric NK receptors at the effector cell level may prove useful in NK cell-based immunotherapies. Here, we utilized a previously established lentiviral transduction...
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