Towards small robot aided victim manipulation

Robotic manipulation of human victims is a problem that has been avoided by the robotics community. This paper presents the issues that would need to be addressed in order to have small man-portable robots aiding the transport of incapacitated victims. Focusing on the manipulation of victims in preparation for transport, the primary design specifications come from the required forces that a small robot would need to be capable of applying. Data and analysis is presented for human limb manipulation, in terms of limb pose statistics and forces required for limb motions that a small robot may be required to do. Components of the robot solution are presented including a wristlet mechanism that can be robotically deployed as well as a novel head protection and cervical spine immobilization method using rapidly expanding foam.