Structure Scanning and Designing Device

Acquiring detailed knowledge of any area or structure can be  of immense importance for understanding and navigating through it. In the case of any incident, knowing about the structure can help the rescue team in search and rescue operations. That can be done using Unmanned Aerial Devices (UAV

Project Title

Structure Scanning and Designing Device

Project Area of Specialization

Augmented and Virtual Reality

Project Summary

Acquiring detailed knowledge of any area or structure can be  of immense importance for understanding and navigating through it. In the case of any incident, knowing about the structure can help the rescue team in search and rescue operations. That can be done using Unmanned Aerial Devices (UAVs), drones, quad-copters, etc but for incidents occurring inside caves and mines, UAVs and drones are not competent. Caves and mines have unique and anomalous structures and are loaded with unwelcoming deformities such as stalactites, stalagmites, water dripping from the roof of the caves, uneven floor, rocky surface and extremely narrow passages to name a few. Same goes for mines along with the incompetence of the rocks to hold the roof leading to debris falling and cave-in's. UAV's and drones have been used in the past to survey the structures of caves and mines but due to numerous reasons they are considered not fit for the job. This project aims to find a replacement for UAVs and to overcome the obstacles inside the structure. A unmanned ground based remotely controlled robotic system is introduced for structure scanning of caves and mines using Kinect. The proposed project is a prototype and is aimed to be economical. It will be remotely controlled and send inside of cave or mine, the range of the platform is extended to a few kilometers using a transceiver which also provides real time feed for ease in navigation. The Kinect is used for structure scanning of the cave, it scans the structure and stores the 3 Dimensional data onto a single board computer, which is attached to Kinect and placed inside the structure. The entire structure is covered, well-balanced and slightly elevated to counter several obstacles that it might face inside the infrastructures of caves and mines. It is designed to aid Search and Rescue Teams and to speed up the rescue operations.

Project Objectives

The Primary objective of this project is to assist Search and Rescue operations in cave and mining incidents. Mines and caves are highly susceptible to variety of accidents; thereby, pose danger to human lives. Explosion in coal mines due to toxic gases is considered a routine accident; resultantly, cave or mine with its entire infrastructure could get collapsed or become unsafe for human lives. Another scenario, cave gets flooded, debris obstruct and only narrow passage is available. Therefore, rescue operation gets complicated and time consuming. Time is a very critical factor to save lives; majority of miners survive the blast but if rescue teams are unavailable to reach out to victims their survival chances are greatly reduced.  In such an incident in Thailand, June 2018, the rescue team took 14 days to reach the victims; due to the narrowness and unknown layout of the cave. An incident in Quetta, in 2018, resulted in the rescue team getting trapped inside the mine and losing their lives due to their haste in the rescue operation.

Project Implementation Method

The project aims to extend useful aid to rescue teams to assist operations in cave / mining incidents. Thus it would help in planning, execution and retrieval phases of the operation. Structure Scanning & Designing Device (SSDD) is capable of launching in any terrain through narrow passage due to its track mobility, smaller in size and suitably equipped with relevant devices.  On board devices are; ‘Kinect’, which is used to construct and configure 3D map of the internal structure of the mine or cave. It can operate in smoke and darkness, as it employs Infrared Sensors. A 6-channel long range Remote Control is used to operate the robotic device; a real-time video through a camera is available. The ‘Kinect’ maps the entire internal structure and can store it on Raspberry-pi (a wireless option) thereby, we can later extract the entire map, optimize and study for response options.

Benefits of the Project

1.  Speed up the search and rescue of mining and cave incidents.
2.  To aid the rescue team in understanding the structure of the cave or mine, allowing them to maneuver a strategy accordingly.

3.  To overcome the challenges faced by rescue teams inside caves or mines.

4.  To develop a device that can do the above tasks and be economical.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The final product is capable to venture into caves and mines and scan the entire infrastructure. It is capable of designing a 3D map and multiple types of detailed views.
The platform has great suspensions and is capable of overcoming many types of surfaces such as rocks, dirt, mud and puddles. The Transmitter is capable of transmitting real-time footage from a camera attached to the device, while receiver provides the footage on an LCD placed alongside the operator outside. The Transceivers can operate  at a range of a few kilometers.  

Fig 1. Mine scanned in Pitch Black Darkness

Fig. 2 A Room being 3D Mapped in Very Low Light

Fig 3 - 3D Map being Generated of a LAB, Blue Line Depicts Movement of Robot

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Type of Industry

Health , Security

Technologies

Augmented & Virtual Reality, Robotics

Sustainable Development Goals

Good Health and Well-Being for People, Reduced Inequality

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com