An Integrated Soft Robotic System for Measuring Vital Signs in Search and Rescue Environments

2026-04-01

AI Summary

This study addresses the lack of non-invasive, automated methods for measuring heart rate and blood pressure in survivors during post-disaster search and rescue operations. The authors propose a mobile robotic system integrated with a soft robotic gripper that wraps around and pneumatically compresses a victim’s arm in a manner analogous to a sphygmomanometer. Coupled with a multimodal physiological signal processing algorithm, this approach enables, for the first time in a search-and-rescue robot, simultaneous estimation of heart rate, systolic, and diastolic blood pressure. The system adapts to varying victim postures and has been validated in simulated disaster scenarios, achieving a heart rate measurement error of 4 bpm and blood pressure errors of approximately 5 mmHg, demonstrating rapid, safe, and accurate vital sign assessment capabilities.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Multimodal Perception & Sensor Fusion
• Search and Optimization: Sampling/Simulation-based Search
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Activity and Plan Recognition

Application Category

• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web evaluation methodologies and metrics
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Experiences and lessons learnt from Web-based algorithms and system deployments

Abstract

Robots are frequently utilized in search-and-rescue operations. In recent years, significant advancements have been made in the field of victim assessment. However, there are still open issues regarding heart rate measurement, and no studies have been found that assess pressure in post-disaster scenarios. This work designs a soft gripper and integrates it into a mobile robotic system, thereby creating a device capable of measuring the pulse and blood pressure of victims in post-disaster environments. The gripper is designed to envelop the victim's arm and inflate like a sphygmomanometer, facilitated by a specialized portability system. The utilization of different signal processing algorithms has enabled the attainment of a pulse bias of \qty{4}{\bpm} and a bias of approximately \qty{5}{\mmHg} for systolic and diastolic pressures. The findings, in conjunction with the other statistical data and the validation of homoscedasticity in the error terms, prove the system's capacity to accurately determine heart rate and blood pressure, thereby rendering it suitable for search and rescue operations. Finally, a post-disaster has been employed as a test to validate the functionality of the entire system and to demonstrate its capacity to adapt to various victim positions, its measurement speed, and its safety for victims.

Problem

• vital signs
• search and rescue
• blood pressure
• heart rate
• post-disaster

Innovation

• soft robotics
• vital signs monitoring
• search and rescue
• blood pressure measurement
• mobile robotic system