Developing collaborative mesh communication networks in confined geometries for disaster response teams
FUTURE PROJECT
Rescue teams rely on their communication networks to update their collective knowledge of a rapidly evolving disaster zone. A failure in these networks is more than an inconvenience; it costs lives.
MeshBots establish a resilient mesh communication network in confined spaces, such as inside a collapsed building, that standard disaster communications response cannot reach. The MeshBots network can repair itself and adapt to provide a strong, uninterrupted signal throughout a disaster area. Using advanced sensors and LiDAR, MeshBots can heuristically map a disaster zone and the hazards within to improve a disaster response team’s situational awareness and save lives.
A MeshBots system consists of a group of uncrewed ground (UGV) and aerial vehicles (UAV) alongside a mobile base station. A ground team deploys MeshBots into complex environments to generate post-disaster maps and establish a Wi-Fi network. Emergency responders can then provide relief through the safe path found by MeshBots, be assured their comms are stable and warned of the dangers ahead.
Once funding is confirmed, the MeshBots project will develop a collective of UGVs and UAVs, which collectively map an environment while creating a stable mesh Wi-Fi network for communications and information transmission.
The proposed development timeframe of the MeshBots system will take 2 ½ years, where the MeshBots UAV, UGV and Base Station will simultaneously be developed to a high technical readiness level.
A PhD studentship will tackle the novel technical developments necessary for resilient mesh networking, distributed LiDAR SLAM and collective computing. The University of Bristol’s experts in deploying robotic systems in hazardous environments will consult on the design of the system to ensure it operates in extreme environments. They will generate failure-tolerant operational procedures for non-specialists to use MeshBots globally, with any level of technical ability.
The developed MeshBots network will fill the currently unmet need for resilient Wi-Fi networks to integrate advanced robotic systems into search and rescue missions. Through the MeshBots network, rescue teams will be able to deploy disaster response robots beyond line of sight to remediate areas too hazardous to enter.
Emergency responders will gather and share information faster than ever before in rapidly changing environments. The risk calculation undertaken by these teams will no longer be a best estimation; MeshBots empower these teams to optimise their own safety during a disaster.
High risk disaster areas, such as mines or cities at tectonic fault lines, could maintain a standby MeshBots system for rapid deployment. Within minutes MeshBots could temporarily fix the gap in communications until longer term solutions are found.
