3D Printed Robots to Be Used in Search-and-Rescue Operations

In Search-and-Rescue operations, timing and flexibility is often key to successful results. It is often integral not only that rescue efforts happen as quickly as possible to guarantee the maximum number of survivors in a crisis, but that responses be specialized for each specific disaster. But this can be difficult to achieve. Thankfully, there may now be a solution. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher Markus Nemitz has received a $599,815 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation to develop small and flexible, 3D printed robots that are capable of traversing challenging terrains by swimming, crawling, climbing, and diving through hostile and confined spaces as part of search-and-rescue operations.

Nemitz’s project was inspired in large part by the Tham Luang cave crisis from 2018. In the incident, 12 members of a youth soccer camp as well as their coach were trapped deep in the Tham Luang cave, a karstic cave system in Thailand, which flooded due to monsoonal flooding caused by sudden, heavy rainfall on June 23rd. The plight of the team received widespread international attention at the time due to the fact that efforts to locate the group were hindered by strong currents and rising water levels. And even after all 13 were found alive on July 2nd, over a week after entering the cave, rescue was difficult due to the narrow passages and muddy waters. Eventually, all were rescued between July 8th and 10th by an international team, with as many 10,000 people including 100 divers involved in the efforts.

Markus Nemitz has received the grant to develop custom robots for use in search-and-rescue operations (photo credits: WPI)

In order to save all 13 members of the team, innovation was key as many different rescue operation attempt options were considered. This is what has inspired Nemitz. He is working on developing these 3D printed robots with integrated fluidic circuits to see how they can be rapidly made and deployed in disasters such as in Tham Luang cave. Indeed, in the five-year project, he plans to test miniaturized models of the robots in replicated parts of the Thai cave.