Simulation and Evaluation of Rescue Robots in Blender

Abstract

In recent years, the use of rescue simulation to recreate virtual rescue robots and environments which have been struck by natural disasters has been increasing. The benefits of using virtual robots and environments instead of actual robots and environments are many, and the most significant of those benefits are cost and time. In this paper, we evaluate the possibility of using the Blender Game Engine and Bullet Physics to accurately simulate the aforementioned robots and environments. We analyze the advantages of using the Blender Game Engine instead of more traditional game engines for simulation purposes. Finally, we compare and grade the virtual robots used in this experiment based on the results of manual and autonomous robot operation.