Study of the Rescue Robot under Earthquake Disasters - Performance Evaluation of the Screw-drive Vehicle -

Abstract

This paper presents the results of off-road ability tests of Archimedes' screw-drive undercarriage device that is equipped with 1/6 sized "Brooder Unit" and its evaluation. Our "Robot-in-Robot-style Rescue Robot" is constructed by "Carrier Unit" and "Brooder Unit". The Carrier Unit goes through under rubble. The Brooder Unit rescue the victim trapped in the rubble, and he or she is held in the container inside of the Brooder Unit.
In order to investigate the optimum shape of Archimedes' screw rod to climb through 3 kinds of off-roads (gravel, rubble model and trodden soil), we measured travel distance and speed alter 4 to 6 turns of aluminum screw blade wound around the rod in each fields.
As a result, 5 turns screw rods shown the longest travelling distance, but these did not have any significant differences. And it has been suggested that the number of turns of the screw has tenuous connection to the Off-road travelling distance. However, it has been also found that the traverse (=parallel) travelling has high roadability. There is a need to re-design the undercarriage of the Brooder Unit.