As part of the Cabinet Office's Innovative Research and Development Promotion Program (ImPACT) Tough Robotics Challenge, a research group led by Professor Kazuhiro Nakadai of Tokyo Institute of Technology detected the voices of people requiring rescue and swiftly. We have developed the world's first drone system that can help save lives.
Until now, most of the rescue-required search techniques using drones have relied on vision, and cannot be used when people are in the rubble and difficult to find, or when the camera cannot be used, such as at night or in the dark. , It was a big wall of search.
Voice information also plays an important role in finding people in need of rescue, but at disaster sites, it is difficult to hear calls for help due to the noise of the surroundings and equipment.In addition, the drone itself has a problem that it is difficult to hear the voice of the rescuer from the ground because of the loud noise caused by the propeller and the wind.
Therefore, the research group made it possible to detect sound sources even under the noise of drones by using microphone array technology that applies the software HARK of "robot ears".We also developed XNUMXD sound source position estimation and map display technology, and built an interface that visualizes invisible sound sources in an easy-to-understand manner for the operator.In addition, we have developed an all-weather microphone array, which makes it possible to search for rescuers even in the rain.
In the future, the research team aims to build a system that is easier to use and more robust by continuing demonstration experiments at a level close to the actual environment.In the near future, drones can be expected to become a promising tool for rescue tasks.