Design of a sensory and vision system for a rescuer robot in coal mine areas

Catastrophic events frequently happen in coal mines. Methane and coal dust explosions are the most dangerous threats in these environments, and toxic gases post-explosions are other cause of death for rescuers. Thousands of coal miners in the world have died just in the last decade due to coal mine disasters, and rescuers put their lives at risk when they enter the mine. TeleRescuer is a project composed of European interdisciplinary actors, forming a well-balanced consortium. The aim of the project is to develop a system for the virtual teleportation of rescuers to the subterranean areas of a coal mine that have been closed due to a catastrophic event within them. Instead of putting rescuers lives at risk, we will facilitate an Unmanned Vehicle (UV) which will be managed from the terrestrial station, where live immersive images and measurements will be displayed. To this end, a very powerful communication system is developed to allow the rescuer to drive the UV and broadcast video and measurements. This paper presents one of the most delicate parts of the robot: The sensory and vision system that will be integrated into a special flameproof enclosure together with an arm that allows different sensors to reach the required heights. The paper will explain in detail all the electronics and mechanical design, in addition to the functionalities of the different elements.