Mixed signals degrade rescue missions

Researchers at the

report that the radio transmissions of multiple search and rescue robots can interfere with one another.

Prototypes and commercial models of urban search and rescue (US&R) robots will soon begin work across the US. Too many of these robots, however, could prove detrimental, according to researchers at NIST, who report that the radio transmissions of multiple robots can interfere with each other and degrade search and rescue performance.

A NIST analysis of wireless radio field trials for US&R robots, presented at a conference on February 28, found that 10 out of the 14 robots tested experienced communication problems due to radio interference from other systems.

Engineers carried out tests on the robots last August at a US&R robot standards development gathering in Gaithersburg, Maryland, sponsored by the US Department of Homeland Security. The researchers found that neither use of "industrial, scientific, and medical" (ISM) frequency bands nor adherence to protocols designed to minimize interference between systems in the bands could guarantee flawless communication between a robot and its human operator.