Thesis (M.S.) University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 29, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.

This dissertation examined the effects of distributed, multiplayer training video games on the performance of distributed teams of robot operators. Two hypotheses were tested, the first hypothesis stated that online, game-based team training will improve the performance of an ad-hoc team versus an ad-hoc team formed of individually trained teammates. The second hypothesis stated that the fractal dimension of a robot's path can be used as an indicator of its operator's skill. Forty-one volunteers participated in an experiment in which they played a distributed, online training game which showed them the basics of operating an Inuktun Extreme VGTV for a search task. The participants were divided into two groups, one group trained in pairs as a team while the other group trained individually. The results showed that team training has no effect on the number of items found in a search by an ad-hoc team; however, team training does significantly impact the amount of information sharing between team members. The results also showed that the fractal dimension of a robot's path is quadratically related to the operator's effectiveness in a search task. Additionally, a participant's age and prior video game experience are related to their score obtained in a search task using a robot.

Search operations can be described by the interaction between three entities: the target, the sensor, and the environment. Past treatments of the search problem have focused primarily on the interaction between the sensor and the target. The effects that the environment has on the target and sensor have been greatly simplified or ignored completely. The wilderness search and rescue scenario is one case in which these interactions cannot be safely ignored. Using the wilderness search and rescue problem as our motivating example, we develop an algorithm for planning search paths for a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over rough terrain environments that provide complete coverage of the specified terrain region while minimizing effort wasted on duplicate coverage. The major components of this algorithm include 1) breaking the search region into smaller sub-regions that are easier to deal with, and 2) planning the search for each of these sub-regions. The original contributions of this thesis focus on the latter of these two components. We use a method based on the directional offset of terrain contours to produce paths on the terrain for the sensor to observe as the UAV follows the flight path. We then employ directional-offset methods again by moving in the direction along the terrain normal from the sensor path to generate a flight path that lies in the air a specified distance away from the points on the terrain that are to be observed. These two paths are linked in a way that provides the sensor with an ample viewing opportunity of the terrain regions below. We implement this planning algorithm in software with Matlab, and provide a complete simulation of a UAV that follows the planned search pattern. Our planning algorithm produced search paths that were 94 to 100 percent complete in test scenarios for several rough-terrain regions. Missed regions for these plans were near the search boundaries, and coverage could easily be provided by subsequent plans. We recommend the study of region segmentation, with careful consideration of planning algorithms as the major focus of future work.

Wilderness search and rescue can be assisted by video searchers in manned aircraft. The video searcher's primary task is to find clues on the ground. Due to altitude, it may be difficult to resolve details on the ground with a standard video camera. As the video streams at a constant frame rate, the searcher may become distracted by other tasks. While handling these tasks the searcher may miss important clues or spend extra time flying over the search area; either outcome decreases both the effectiveness of the video searcher and the chances of successfully finding missing persons. We develop an efficient software system that allows the video searcher to deal with distractions while identifying, resolving, and geolocating clues using mixed-resolution video. We construct an inexpensive camera rig that feeds video and telemetry to this system. We also develop a simple flight simulator for generating synthetic search video for simulation and testing purposes. To validate our methods we conduct a user study and a field trial. An analysis of the user study results suggests that our system can combine the video streams without loss of performance in the primary or secondary search task. The resulting gains in screen-space efficiency can then be used to present more information, such as scene context or larger-resolution images. Additionally, the field trial suggests that the software is capable of robustly operating in a real-world environment.

The project examines the construction of state space and the contestation of the EUropean borderscape through the work of non-state actors in the Mediterranean Sea. In response to the precarity of irregularized migrant journeys, there has been a rise in Search and Rescue (SAR) NGOs committed to assisting people on the move through upholding the basic human rights and dignity of migrants. Increasingly, NGOs are criminalized for providing basic necessities like food, water and shelter to migrants passing through the peripheral spaces of the state. Not only does irregular migration through the borderlands of the Global North directly confront state efforts to exclude through violent bordering practices, but NGO acts of solidarity also transform the harsh environment of the sea into contested spaces of political action. The lifesaving actions of NGOs operating in the Mediterranean directly challenge state authority and governance at sea while laying bare the violence inherent in state bordering practices. Conversely, the disruptive politics of these NGOs serve as a form of resistance to these same bordering practices and operate as a means of contesting state exclusion. Situating NGO SAR operations within the wider context of the securitization of borders, the repression and criminalization of solidarity in the Mediterranean highlights state efforts to reassert sovereign authority over the sea. This ongoing research contextualises the spatial politics of the Mediterranean borderscape at the intersections of migration governance and acts of solidarity by European NGOs. The research conducted for my doctoral project was driven by an ethnographic methodology that included six months working with SAR NGOs active in the Central Mediterranean while gathering over 50 interviews with activists working in the region. More directly, this also involved three months living and working alongside the German SAR organization, Sea-Watch, in France and Italy during periods of legal and administrative detention. My work bridges the opportunity to write about these movements and resistance efforts, with direct involvement in these struggles for rights, recognition, and freedom of movement, in solidarity with people on the move. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Approved for public release; distribution in unlimited. / On 1 October 2003 the USAF transferred control of its CONUS-based combat search and rescue(CSAR) assets from Air Combat Command to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Transferto AFSOC was CSAR's fourth major reorganization in twenty years, and was the latest in a turbulentprocession of attempts to improve the combat effectiveness of CSAR forces. Despite possessing anabundance of brave, motivated, and extremely capable personnel yearning to accomplish their mission, dysfunctional organizational arrays and nagging organizational constraints have prevented USAF dedicatedCSAR forces from "getting to the fight" for the onset of hostilities in three of this nation's past four majorarmed conflicts. Special operations forces had to fill the void. This analysis evaluates CSAR's positionwithin AFSOC's organizational array to determine if this latest reorganization is likely to produce durableimprovements in CSAR combat effectiveness. My conclusion is that "CSAR friendly" organizational cultureand effective organizational constructs within AFSOC Headquarters, combined with highly receptiveattitudes among CSAR crewmembers, form a historically unique organizational mix that favors the long termsuccess of CSAR forces in AFSOC. To ensure AFSOC's favorable organizational posture is translated toimproved combat capability, leadership must immediately increase CSAR representation on HHQ staffs. / Major, United States Air Force

Flyktingströmmarna över Medelhavet har de senaste åren ökat dramatiskt. Dessa migranter och flyktingar har oftast färdats i undermåliga farkoster, vilket i flera fall lett till att de hamnat i sjönöd. Detta har i sin tur resulterat i att ett stort antal fartyg engagerats i att undsätta dessa människor. Denna studie har genom intervjuer med svenska sjöfarare och genom en litteraturstudie undersökt vilka skillnader och likheter det finns mellan gällande riktlinjer för sjöräddning och räddningsinsatser i Medelhavet. Syftet med studien var att undersöka om riktlinjerna identifierar samma problem och risker som personer som deltagit i räddningsinsatser av nödställda migranter i Medelhavet gjort. Av intervjuerna framkom att det inte fanns några större skillnader mellan de internationella riktlinjerna och respondenternas upplevelse. Dock framkom det av intervjuerna att det stora antalet människor ombord utgjorde en säkerhetsrisk. Detta är något som inte togs i beaktande i de riktlinjer som undersökts. Studien poängterar vikten av att undvika panik i alla situationer, ha tydlig ansvarsfördelning samt att vara väl medveten om att omhändertagandet är resurskrävande och innebär en stor arbetsinsats. Den mest centrala rekommendationen för att uppnå ett framgångsrikt resultat ansågs vara att planera väl före en sjöräddningsinsats påbörjades. / The stream of refugees across the Mediterranean Sea has in recent years increased dramatically. This study has through interviews with Swedish seafarers and through a literature study, examined what differences there are between international guidelines and actual efforts made in the Mediterranean Sea. The purpose of the study was to enquire if these guidelines identified the same problems and risks during a SAR-operation as the people involved in the rescue of distressed migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. The interviews revealed that there were no major differences between the guidelines and the experience of the people involved. It emerged however from the interviews that the large number of people on board constituted a security risk. This is something that was not taken into account in the guidelines that were examined. The study showed the pressing need to avoid panic in any situation, have clear responsibilities and be aware that the care of the distressed migrants is resource-intensive and involves a lot of work. The most important recommendation to achieve a successful outcome was considered to plan well before a search and rescue effort began.

Using teams of autonomous, heterogeneous robots to operate in dangerous environments has a number of advantages. Among these are cost-effectiveness and the ability to spread out skills among team members. The nature of operating in dangerous domains means that the risk of loss is higher---teams will often lose members and must acquire new ones. In this work, I explore various recruitment strategies for the purpose of improving an existing framework for team management. My additions allow robots to more actively acquire new teams members and assign tasks among other robots on a team without the intervention of a team leader. I evaluate this framework in simulated post-disaster environments where the risk of robot loss is high and communications are often unreliable. My results show that in many scenarios, active recruitment strategies provide significant performance benefits. / February 2017

Vid ett antal större fartygskatastrofer till havs de senare årtiondena har sjöräddningskapaciteten inte räckt till för att rädda alla eller ens en majoritet av de ombordvarande. Detta trots att stora insatser har gjorts för att förbättra livräddningsutrustningen ombord. Handelsfartyg som påträffar nödställda är skyldiga enligt lag att hjälpa till med räddningsarbetet. Denna studie belyser vilka resurser som finns i Sverige för att klara en större fartygsolycka till havs och i vilken utsträckning handelsflottan har möjlighet att hjälpa till. Studien har gjorts som en litteraturstudie som kompletterades med ett par intervjufrågor till rederier. Både handelsfartyg och Sjöfartsverkets specialiserade räddningsenheter har visat sig vara alldeles för dåligt utrustade eller för få för att klara att utföra sin uppgift vid dåliga väderförhållanden vilket ofta råder vid fartygskatastrofer. Mycket av ansvaret för att sätta nödställda i säkerhet efter en olycka hamnar istället på helikoptrar som flygs ut till olycksplatsen från land. En hel del tekniska problem har visat sig försvåra arbetet med evakuering via helikopter vid flera fartygskatastrofer då även dessa är känsliga för hårt väder. En utveckling av utrustning för handelsfartyg som effektivt och säkert kan användas vid dåliga väderförhållanden utan att behöva förflytta människor en och en mellan olika farkoster skulle behöva ske. Att enbart förlita sig på helikoptrar vid masslivräddning har visat sig vara alltför tidskrävande och sårbart. / During the last decades there have been several great ship disasters where rescue capability has not been sufficient to save all or even a majority of the victims of a number of larger marine disasters. This is despite the fact that great efforts have been made to improve the life-saving equipment on board. Merchant ships which encounter any other ship in distress are required by law to assist in the rescue. This study was made to illustrate what resources exist in Sweden to handle major ship emergencies at sea and to what extent the merchant fleet is able to help. The study was done as a literature study with a few additional questions to shipping companies. Both merchant ships and the Swedish Maritime Administration's specialized rescue units have proven to be far too poorly equipped or too few to handle their task in rough weather conditions, which are often associated with ship disasters. Much of the responsibility for getting crew and passengers to safety after an accident is instead transferred to helicopters which fly out to the emergency location from land. Many technical problems have been found that makes it difficult to evacuate via helicopters during multiple ship disasters, as helicopters are sensitive to severe weather. A development of equipment that can be used in rough weather conditions without having to move people one by one between different crafts needs to be developed. Relying solely on helicopters for mass evacuation has proved to be too time-consuming and vulnerable.

在世界各地，自然或人為災難隨時可能發生。災難回應作為災難處理的重要環節顯得尤為重要，隨著科學技術的進步和提高，人們希望通過使用各種科學手段來提高災難的回應效率。機器人技術作為21世紀高科技結合的產物被廣泛應用於這一領域。一般情況下，設計者會採用功能集成的思想對機器人進行設計，他們的主要設計思想是根據自己對環境的理解和認知得到機器人的設計需求，然後針對設計需求，通過功能集成和疊加的方式來完成對機器人的設計，採用這種方式機器人一旦設計完畢，其功能也隨之確立並不可更改，這種設計思想是基於環境狀況的，即一旦災難現場的環境不符合預先的設定，機器人的執行能力將大幅下降，同時功能疊加的設計方式會產生功能與功能之間相互約束，影響其專業性。 / 本文介紹了一種基於分散式設計思想的全新設計理念，並且根據這一理念設計了一套基於任務需求的救援機器人系統。機器人系統不會根據設計者對災難現場的預先理解和認知而被一體化設計，相反根據"如何到達"和"如何操作"把機器人系統拆分成移動單元和操作單元兩個環節，針對每個環節分別設計了符合現場需求的通用移動模組和任務執行模組，救援人員可以根據災難現場的即時任務需求而迅速搭建出有針對性的機器人系統任務解決方案，和傳統的機器人系統相比，具適應性廣、靈活性高、針對性強等特點。 / 在本論文中，對三種通用的移動平臺和兩種通用的模組化關節以及一個快速連接器分別進行了結構設計、理論分析及樣機設計，並採用基本的通用模組，根據即時的任務需求構建出有針對性的多個機器人系統。實驗表明該機器人系統可以提供對災難環境有針對性的系統解決方案，具有一定容錯性、經濟性及災難環境的適應性。文章的創新點如下，首次針對于救援機器人提出分散式的設計思想，並以該思想為基礎設計了基於通用模組的救援機器人系統，針對不同任務對移動性能的不同要求設計了三種移動平臺，為滿足不同的救援操作要求設計了兩種模組化關節以及快速連接器。同時，文中為實際的地震救援任務提出了一套救援機器人系統解決方案。 / Natural and man-made disasters nowadays still present a large amount of risk. Disaster response is an important phase of disaster management, and the enhancement of its effectiveness and accountability has attracted an increasing amount of attention. Robots can help rescuers in doing this task because of its wide range of applications. In general, the rescue robot concept assumes one or more targeted tasks while design, and one or a set of robot(s) is/are designed by integrating different functions to accomplish those tasks. Once the design of a robot is finished, its function cannot be changed. However, this kind of design is environment-dependent, as once a disaster environment changes, the execution performance of the robot will reduce. Furthermore the function-integrated design concept may cause internal constraints between functions, and fail to provide a targeted solution for different disaster environments. / This dissertation introduces a novel design concept, based on which a requirement-oriented rescue robot system is developed. This design concept adopts a distributed strategy, according to which tasks are no longer seen as a whole but divided into two parts: traversability and operation. Several functional modules are designed to meet the different requirements of the two parts separately, and the entire robot system can be assembled using different functional modules according to the real-time requirements of the disaster environment. Compared with the traditional rescue robot system, this system can provide a more targeted solution for different disaster situations, and is more adaptable and flexible. / This dissertation details the basic functional modules, including three kinds of mobile bases for traversability and two sets of modular joints for operation, and analyzes a quick connector that makes the connection easier and more convenient. Several possible combinations of the rescue robot system are displayed to show how to construct a rescue robot system according to different requirements. This kind of rescue robot system can provide targeted solutions to different disaster tasks. Robustness is also enhanced, as the replacement of the functional modules is flexible and easy to overhaul. Furthermore, the functional modules can be decomposed and reused to make the robot system more economical. This dissertation makes several contributions. It presents a systematic solution for rescue robot, develops three mobile bases for high traversability and two kinds of modular joints and a quick connector for rescue operation. Furthermore, it also develops a rescue robot system for missions in earthquake. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Yang, Yong. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 226-236). / Abstracts also in Chinese.