Disaster Zone Technology Gives Rescue Missions the Edge

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Disaster zones operate on tight timelines. Minutes, or even seconds, can be the difference between life and death when people are trapped by rubble, collapsed buildings, or rising waters.

2Technology has always played a part in search and rescue, and relief teams depend on a range of tools to help save lives.

3Natural disasters affect around 200 million people on average each year.Between 2000 and 2019, they led to more than 1.2 million deaths. And weather—including floods, storms, and heatwaves—is the root cause of 90%of those disasters. As climate change drives more extreme weather events,technology and rescue expertise will only increase in importance.

4That expertise is often provided by high-level agencies like NASA, using satellite imagery to provide ‘before and after’ maps highlighting areas damaged by the Springfield tornado. Or imagery from the 7.8 magnitude Nepal earthquake in April 2015, where an international team led by NASA helped the Nepali government identify landslide hazards, and decide where to provide relief or evacuate people.

災(zāi)區(qū)救援刻不容緩。一旦有人被瓦礫、倒塌的建筑物或上漲的水位困住，分分秒秒都會(huì)是生死之別。

2技術(shù)一直在搜救中發(fā)揮作用，救援隊(duì)伍依靠各類工具來救助生命。

3自然災(zāi)害平均每年影響約2 億人，在2000 至2019 年期間共導(dǎo)致120 多萬人死亡。此類災(zāi)害的起因有九成是天氣，如洪澇、暴風(fēng)雨和熱浪等。隨著氣候變化導(dǎo)致更多極端天氣事件發(fā)生，技術(shù)和救援專業(yè)知識(shí)的重要性會(huì)有增無減。

4上述專業(yè)知識(shí)通常由諸如美國國家航空航天局（NASA）之類的高級(jí)機(jī)構(gòu)提供，它們利用衛(wèi)星圖像提供斯普林菲爾德龍卷風(fēng)發(fā)生前后的對(duì)照地圖，標(biāo)示遭受破壞的區(qū)域；或是提供2015 年4 月 尼 泊 爾7.8 級(jí)地震的圖像，當(dāng)時(shí)由NASA 領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的一個(gè)國際小組曾協(xié)助尼泊爾政府排查山體滑坡隱患，確定派出救援或疏散人員的地點(diǎn)。

5Mapping work is also carried out at ground level by organizations such as MapAction, with expertise in geographic information systems and land surveying to create detailed relief and rescue maps. After the Haiti earthquake in August 2021, the charity drew up maps showing shelter, health facilities,and food distribution, but also passable1passable 可通行的。roads, helicopter landing points and relief agency numbers.

6One of the first actions relief agencies often take in disaster areas is to set up mobile networks so that locals and workers can communicate effectively. Local phone networks may be badly damaged or non-existent, so a mobile app developed by the Serval2serval 藪貓，非洲野生貓科動(dòng)物，聽覺敏銳，可聽到嚙齒動(dòng)物發(fā)出的超聲波高頻聲音。Project in response to the Haiti earthquake in 2010, allows phones to communicate directly with each other when networks are down.

7Two-way text messaging systems can also be set up to cover a specific region, or even just one neighborhood,allowing agencies to talk to people on even the most basic mobile handsets3handset 手機(jī)。.But communications companies can also create internet, Wi-Fi and phone networks within minutes using portable devices that can fit inside a backpack.

5地面測(cè)繪工作則由MapAction 這樣的機(jī)構(gòu)完成，他們擁有地理信息系統(tǒng)和土地勘測(cè)方面的專長(zhǎng)，可繪制詳細(xì)的搶險(xiǎn)救災(zāi)地圖。2021 年8月海地發(fā)生地震之后，該慈善機(jī)構(gòu)繪制了多份地圖，地圖上標(biāo)有避難所、衛(wèi)生設(shè)施和食品分發(fā)點(diǎn)的位置，并顯示可通行的道路、直升機(jī)著陸點(diǎn)和救援機(jī)構(gòu)數(shù)目。

6救援機(jī)構(gòu)在災(zāi)區(qū)往往首先采取的行動(dòng)之一是設(shè)立移動(dòng)網(wǎng)絡(luò)，以便當(dāng)?shù)貫?zāi)民和救援工作人員能有效通信。當(dāng)?shù)仉娫捑W(wǎng)絡(luò)可能會(huì)嚴(yán)重受損或蕩然無存，因此“藪貓工程”為應(yīng)對(duì)2010 年海地地震開發(fā)了一款移動(dòng)應(yīng)用程序，使手機(jī)在網(wǎng)絡(luò)中斷時(shí)能直接相互通信。

7還可設(shè)置覆蓋某一區(qū)域甚至某一社區(qū)的雙向短信系統(tǒng)，讓救援機(jī)構(gòu)能通過即便是最簡(jiǎn)單的手機(jī)與災(zāi)民通話。不過通信公司也可利用可放入背包的便攜設(shè)備在短短幾分鐘內(nèi)構(gòu)建互聯(lián)網(wǎng)、無線網(wǎng)絡(luò)和電話網(wǎng)絡(luò)。

8Small is also beautiful when it comes to finding survivors in wrecked buildings. Researchers at ETH Zurich4德語全稱為Eidgen?ssische Technische Hochschule Zürich，是瑞士的兩所聯(lián)邦理工學(xué)院之一，享有“歐陸第一名?！钡拿雷u(yù)，位于德語區(qū)的蘇黎世，另一所是位于法語區(qū)的洛桑聯(lián)邦理工學(xué)院。have created a palm-sized sensor array that can detect humidity, carbon dioxide from breath, and chemicals emitted from the skin in tiny quantities. Where rescue dogs are not available, these tiny detectors could be lifesaving.

9Heartbeat is another vital sign, and NASA’s FINDER5全稱為Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response，縮略詞字面上恰好意為“搜尋者”。is a suitcase-sized microwave technology that can identify tiny motions caused by breathing and beating hearts under tons of building debris. Following the Nepal earthquake,it helped find four men buried under 10 feet of brick, wood and mud. And in tests, FINDER has detected heartbeats through 20 feet of concrete.

10In 2012, the Pentagon ran a competition to develop adaptable first responder robots capable of using human tools, including vehicles. One of the graduates of that challenge was Atlas from Boston Dynamics—a humanoid6humanoid 類人動(dòng)物，人形物。robot that can run, jump over obstacles,and do somersaults7somersault 翻滾，空翻，翻筋斗。.

8在嚴(yán)重?fù)p毀的建筑物中搜尋幸存者時(shí)，“小亦是美”。蘇黎世聯(lián)邦理工學(xué)院研究人員研制出了一種手掌大小的陣列傳感器，能檢測(cè)濕度、呼氣排出的二氧化碳和皮膚散發(fā)的微量化學(xué)物質(zhì)。在無救援犬的情況下，此類微型探測(cè)器或可拯救生命。

9心跳是另一生命體征，NASA 的“搜尋者”是一種手提箱大小的微波技術(shù)裝置，可探測(cè)大堆建筑殘骸下呼吸和心跳引起的細(xì)微動(dòng)靜。在尼泊爾發(fā)生地震后，該設(shè)備協(xié)助搜尋到了四名被掩埋在10 英尺厚磚木和泥土下的人員?！八褜ふ摺边€曾在測(cè)試中透過20 英尺厚的混凝土探測(cè)到心跳。

10美國國防部于2012 年舉辦了一項(xiàng)競(jìng)賽，旨在開發(fā)會(huì)使用車輛等人類工具的自適應(yīng)應(yīng)急救援機(jī)器人。該競(jìng)賽的成果之一是波士頓動(dòng)力公司研制的阿特拉斯——一種能夠奔跑、跳越障礙物和空翻的人形機(jī)器人。

11Atlas isn’t typical of search and rescue robots. Many are much simpler tracked vehicles, like the iRobot Pack-Bots8一種軍用機(jī)器人，可以執(zhí)行炸彈處理、偵察和監(jiān)視等任務(wù)。, which helped survey and clean up Fukushima’s nuclear plant after it was destroyed by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

12Some of the most interesting and seemingly simple designs are inspired by nature. Carnegie Mellon University’s snake robot was deployed in Mexico City following an earthquake in September 2017. Snakebot was able to crawl through collapsed apartment buildings and transmit a live video feed to rescue workers, and an upgrade means that it can now swim underwater.

13Others include the Cheetah 3—a rapid four-legged robot able to run at 30 miles per hour, jump over small obstacles, walk up steps and over rubble—and tiny but swift insect-like robots from MIT. Footpads9footpad（航天器等為軟著陸用的)支架。allow MIT’s cockroach-sized robot to move and turn quickly in tight spaces, making it ideal for rescue missions and finding hazards like gas leaks.

14Drones, too, are undergoing a transformation. Unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs) have been used for some time to detect and track wildfires, find survivors using thermalcameras, and create 3D maps to focus rescue efforts. But by pairing UAVs with algorithmic learning in a specially designed air gym,researchers hope to create autonomous drones with better navigation, able to complete complex missions on their own.

11阿特拉斯并非典型的搜救機(jī)器人。很多搜救機(jī)器人是簡(jiǎn)單得多的履帶式車輛，譬如iRobot 公司的多任務(wù)機(jī)器人PackBot。在福島核電站被日本東北大地震和海嘯摧毀后，這種機(jī)器人曾協(xié)助對(duì)該核電站進(jìn)行勘查和清理。

12一些極其有趣而又看似簡(jiǎn)單的設(shè)計(jì)靈感源自大自然。2017 年9 月墨西哥城發(fā)生地震后，卡內(nèi)基梅隆大學(xué)的蛇形機(jī)器人被派到當(dāng)?shù)亍Ｉ咝螜C(jī)器人能爬行穿越倒塌的公寓大樓，向救援人員傳輸實(shí)時(shí)視頻，升級(jí)后現(xiàn)在可以在水下游弋。

13其他機(jī)器人包括麻省理工學(xué)院研制的“獵豹3 號(hào)”——一種行動(dòng)快捷的四足機(jī)器人，能以每小時(shí)30 英里的速度奔跑、跳越小障礙，還能上臺(tái)階、跨瓦礫——以及小巧而快捷的昆蟲形機(jī)器人，因?yàn)檠b有支架，這種蟑螂大小的機(jī)器人能在狹窄空間中迅速移動(dòng)和轉(zhuǎn)彎，非常適合開展救援行動(dòng)和探測(cè)煤氣泄漏等隱患。

14無人機(jī)也在轉(zhuǎn)型升級(jí)。無人機(jī)用于探測(cè)和跟蹤野火、利用熱成像儀搜尋幸存者、繪制三維地圖來引導(dǎo)救援行動(dòng)聚焦特定區(qū)域已有一段時(shí)間。但研究人員還希望，通過在專門設(shè)計(jì)的飛行訓(xùn)練環(huán)境中將無人機(jī)與算法學(xué)習(xí)匹配，研制出具有更佳導(dǎo)航性能、能自行完成復(fù)雜任務(wù)的自主無人機(jī)。

15UAVs and other autonomous robots need to respond to real-world events,avoiding obstacles and making decisions. The Air Learning10哈佛大學(xué)與谷歌聯(lián)合開發(fā)的開源模擬器，用于無人機(jī)導(dǎo)航算法訓(xùn)練。flight gym will help to design not only algorithms that help drones to take on specific rescue missions, but onboard computers for all kinds of autonomous robots.

16But it is another natural design that could help boost the aerial drone’s performance even further. MIT is working on tiny drones inspired by flying insects like the mosquito and dragonfly. Using robotic soft actuators11actuator致動(dòng)器，傳動(dòng)裝置。for wing movements, made from thin rubber cylinders12coated in carbon nanotubes13nanotube 納米管。, the drone is lightweight and sturdy14sturdy緊固的，結(jié)實(shí)的。enough to withstand collisions and direct hits.

17These tiny drones have no motor,instead relying on electrostatic15electrostatic 靜電的。force once a current is applied that causes the wings to beat nearly 500 times a second. Scientists hope that one day they will be able to equip the drones with cameras to operate in cramped spaces and help find survivors.

15無人機(jī)和其他自主機(jī)器人須對(duì)現(xiàn)實(shí)事件做出響應(yīng)，避開障礙物，做出行動(dòng)決策?！翱罩袑W(xué)習(xí)”飛行訓(xùn)練環(huán)境將有助于設(shè)計(jì)可輔助無人機(jī)執(zhí)行特定救援任務(wù)的算法及各種適用于自主機(jī)器人的機(jī)載電腦。

16而有助于進(jìn)一步提升無人機(jī)性能的卻是另一項(xiàng)仿生設(shè)計(jì)。麻省理工學(xué)院正在研發(fā)的微型無人機(jī)靈感源自蚊子和蜻蜓等會(huì)飛的昆蟲。該無人機(jī)運(yùn)用以涂敷碳納米管的薄橡膠圓筒制成的軟致動(dòng)器來扇動(dòng)“翅膀”，輕盈而又堅(jiān)固，足以承受碰撞和直接擊打。

17這種微型無人機(jī)沒有馬達(dá)，而是靠靜電力驅(qū)動(dòng)，一旦通電，可驅(qū)使“翅膀”每秒扇動(dòng)近500 次?？茖W(xué)家們希望有朝一日能為無人機(jī)配備攝像頭，以便其能在狹窄空間內(nèi)作業(yè)，協(xié)助搜尋幸存者。