Understanding Firefighters Behavior for Human-Robot Cooperation in Urban Fires

M. S. Couceiro and R. P. Rocha

In Proc. of 23rd IEEE Int. Symp. on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN 2014), Workshop on Developmental and Bio-Inspired Approaches for Memory and Emotion Modelling in Cognitive Robotics, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, Aug. 25, 2014.

Abstract

The most frequent incidents in urban areas are urban fires, requiring a prompt response. The use of mobile robots in urban search and rescue (USAR) scenarios, including urban fires, has been proposed to assist first responders, so as to take advantage of robots’ expendability to reduce life endangerment and carry out more effectively the missions. Despite their recognized relevance, further research on the use of mobile robots in such scenarios is still needed to better assess the advantage of the cooperation between teams of robots and teams of humans in firefighting operations and in other USAR scenarios. In this short paper, we outline the key features of a firefighter behavior in response to an urban fire in a large basement garage. This behavioral model was assessed based on interviews with a Portuguese Fire Department, so as to highlight the importance of human-robot partnership in order to decrease the risk exposure of first responders and victims.

Index Terms — Search and rescue; urban fires; human-robot cooperation; firefighter behavioral model.

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BibTeX

@INPROCEEDINGS(Couceiro_et_al_14e,

AUTHOR = "Couceiro, M. S. and Rocha, R. P. ",

TITLE = "Understanding Firefighters Behavior for Human-Robot Cooperation in Urban Fires",

BOOKTITLE = "Proc. of 23rd IEEE Int. Symp. on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN 2014), Workshop on Developmental and Bio-Inspired Approaches for Memory and Emotion Modelling in Cognitive Robotics",

ADDRESS = "Edinburgh, Scotland, UK",

YEAR = "2014",

MONTH = "Aug."

)

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Last update: 17/09/2014