SENEKA - sensor network with mobile robots for disaster management

Developed societies have a high level of preparedness for natural or man-made disasters. But such incidents cannot be completely prevented, and when an incident like an earthquake or an accident in a chemical or nuclear plant hits a populated area, rescue teams need to be employed. In such situations it is a necessity for rescue teams to get a quick overview of the situation in order to identify possible locations of victims that need to be rescued and dangerous locations that need to be secured. Rescue forces must operate quickly in order to save lives, and they often need to operate in dangerous environments. Hence, robot-supported systems are increasingly used to support and accelerate search operations. The objective of the SENEKA concept is to network the various robots and sensor systems used by first responders in order to make the search for victims and survivors more quick and efficient. SENEKA targets the integration of the robot-sensor network into the operation procedures of the rescue teams. The aim of this paper is to inform on the goals and first research results of the ongoing joint research project SENEKA.