ITR: RESCUENET -- Embedded In-Building Sensor Network to Assist Disaster Rescue

这项提案阐述的愿景要求在建筑物的墙壁上嵌入具有UWB(超宽带)无线电和其他传感功能的传感器。当由于自然或人为原因而坍塌时，无线电被部署以形成一个特别的传感器网络，该网络确定坍塌桩的内部组成和结构。这些信息以内部结构(包括气腔等关键特征)的3D重建的形式传递给外部救援人员，可以加快救援工作并拯救生命。添加额外的传感功能，如心跳、语音、热量和气体传感器，将提供有关其他幸存者的位置以及任何火灾或气体泄漏的信息。这种技术在减轻地震等自然灾害(例如1999年土耳其地震造成多达18,000人死亡，其中许多是由于盲目挖掘瓦砾的缓慢进程)以及人为原因方面的作用，将构成这项工作的主要成果。总体而言，该项目代表了新科学(特别网络)的独特融合，有助于一种新技术(UWB)的成熟，以服务于一些最关键的国家迫切需要(灾难恢复)。研究部分包括利用UWB信号的良好传播特性开发材料传感算法。此外，有关UWB在瓦砾中传播的数据将被用于开发速率/能量/距离自适应联网协议，以使埋在地下的传感器能够与救援人员通信。可视化软件将使用建筑物倒塌场景、结构力学和通过UWB传感获得的内部组成的现场数据来创建废墟的三维模型。该项目将依靠测量、分析和实验相结合的方式来实现这一愿景。将在各种类型的瓦砾中进行详细的UWB传播测量，作为开发材料传感算法和联网协议的先导。传感算法将在新的瓦砾实验室设置中进行评估，速率/能量自适应联网协议也将进行评估。将开发可视化软件和相关算法，将埋藏传感器收集的数据融合到三维地图中。将同时开发传感、定位和可视化方面的错误的正式表征。

The vision articulated in this proposal calls for embedding sensors with UWB (Ultra Wide-Band) radio and other sensing capability in walls of buildings. Upon collapsing due to natural or manmade causes, the radios are deployed to form an ad-hoc sensor network that determines the internal composition and structure of the collapsed pile. This information is relayed to external rescuers in the form of 3-D reconstruction of the interior structure (including key features such as air cavities) that can speed up rescue efforts and save lives. Adding additional sensing capability, such as heartbeat, voice, heat, and gas sensors will provide information about the location of other survivors and any fires or gas leaks. The role of such technology in mitigating the impact of natural disasters such as earthquakes (e.g. the 1999 earthquake in Turkey killed as many as 18,000 people, many due to the slow process of excavating rubble blindly) as well as manmade causes, will constitute the primary outcomes of this work. Overall, this project represents a unique confluence of new science (ad-hoc networks) contributing to the maturation of a new technology (UWB) in the service of some of the most critical national imperatives (disaster recovery).The research component includes development of material sensing algorithms exploiting the good propagation characteristics of UWB signals. In addition, data regarding UWB propagation in rubble will be used to develop rate/energy/range adaptive networking protocols to enable the buried sensors to communicate with rescuers. Visualization software will use knowledge of building collapse scenarios, structural mechanics, and on-site data of interior composition obtained from UWB sensing, to create 3-D models of the ruin.The project will rely on a combination of measurement, analysis, and experimentation to realize the vision. Detailed UWB propagation measurements in various types of rubble will be carried out as a precursor to developing material sensing algorithms and networking protocols. Sensing algorithms will be evaluated in new laboratory setups of rubble as will the rate/energy adaptive networking protocols. Visualization software and related algorithms will be developed to fuse data collected by buried sensors into three dimensional maps. A formal characterization of error in sensing, localization, and visualization will be concurrently developed.