Got an Idea for a Robot? DHS Wants to Hear It

If you're familiar with the BattleBots program on cable television, then you may be a good candidate for what the Homeland Security Department and the National Institute of Standards and Technology are looking.

From June 18-22, NIST engineers plan to hold the fourth Response Robot Evaluation Exercise to test robots that can be used to support first responders' search and rescue efforts.

NIST, which will conduct the evaluations, will test robots that can operate in two types of disasters. The first is a structural collapse of a municipal building, in which a robot must be able to traverse rubble and small openings to find victims and help engineers determine if the building is safe to enter.

The other scenario involves a wreck of a passenger train that also is carrying unknown hazardous materials. The robot must be able to cross railroad tracks, maneuver through wreckage and debris to map the scene, locate victims, find, identify and bring back samples of hazardous materials.

The evaluations will be conducted at "Disaster City" at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

Hat tip: Technology News Daily