Wireless Estimation of Canine Pose for Search and Rescue

Proceedings of the 2009 Canadian Conference on Computer and Robot Vision, IEEE, 2009

In this paper we discuss determining canine pose in the context of common poses observed in Urban Search and Rescue dogs through the use a sensor network made up of accelerometers. We discuss the use of the Canine Pose Estimation System in a disaster environment, and propose techniques for determining canine pose. In addition we discuss the challenges with this approach in such environments. This paper presents the experimental results obtained from the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue disaster simulation, where experiments were conducted using multiple canines, which show that angles can be derived from acceleration readings. Our experiments show that similar angles were measured for each of the poses, even when measured on multiple USAR canines of varying size. We also developed an algorithm to determine poses and display the current canine pose to the screen of a laptop. The algorithm was successful in determining some poses and had difficulty with others. These results are presented and discussed in this paper.

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) dogs are often used to find people trapped in rubble. Dogs are fast, agile and accurate, whereas a human handler is slow and may be left behind thus losing sight of the dog. In this thesis we describe a method for remotely determining a dog’s body orientation or pose. We discuss a Canine Pose Estimation (CPE) system to collect relevant data from dogs. The data are sent over a wireless mesh network (WMN) to a computer, where pose is determined. We demonstrate that the CPE system can provide a reliable estimate for some poses. The WMN was also used to transmit data over the wireless network. This enables us to determine if canine pose estimation is possible in real-time. Propagation delay and packet delivery ratio measuring algorithms were developed and used to appraise the WMN’s performance. The experiments were conducted in a building with radio characteristics closely resembling those of a partially collapsed building environment. The thesis finally presents the experimental results.

Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, 2011

In Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) operations, canine teams are deployed to find live patients, and save lives. US&R may benefit from increased levels of situational awareness, through information made available through the use of embedded systems attached to the dogs. One of these is the Canine Pose Estimation (CPE) system. There are many challenges faced with such embedded systems including the engineering of such devices for use in disaster environments. Durability and wireless connectivity in areas with materials that inhibit wireless communications, the safety of the dog wearing the devices, and form factor must be accommodated. All of these factors must be weighed without compromising the accuracy of the application and the timely delivery of its data. This paper discusses the adaptive engineering process and how each of the unique challenges of emergency response embedded systems can be defined and overcome through effective design methods.

Proceedings of the 2008 International Conference on System of Systems Engineering, IEEE , 2008

This paper describes Canine Augmentation Technology (CAT) for use in urban search and rescue (USAR). CAT is a WiFi enabled sensor array that is worn by a trained canines deployed in urban disasters. The system includes, but is not limited to, cameras that provide emergency responders with real-time data to remotely monitor, analyze and take action during USAR operations. An analysis is made of the current tools available to USAR workers including rescue robots and canine search teams. From this analysis came the design of CAT--a system that extracts the strengths of each available USAR tool and combines them to compliment each other. Our experiments yield promising results that CAT may provide significant help to rescuers.

Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics

This chapter introduces cyber-enhanced rescue canines that digitally strengthen the capability of search and rescue (SAR) dogs using robotics technology. A SAR dog wears a cyber-enhanced rescue canine (CRC) suit equipped with sensors (Camera, IMUs, and GNSS). The activities of the SAR dog and its surrounding view and sound are measured by the sensors mounted on the CRC suit. The sensor data are used to visualize the viewing scene of the SAR dog, its trajectory, its behavior (walk, run, bark, among others), and its internal state via cloud services (Amazon K. Ohno (B) NICHe,

BMC Veterinary Research, 2018

Background: Accelerometer-based technologies could be useful in providing objective measures of canine ambulation, but most are either not tailored to the idiosyncrasies of canine gait, or, use un-validated or closed source approaches. The aim of this paper was to validate algorithms which could be applied to accelerometer data for i) counting the number of steps and ii) distance travelled by a dog. To count steps, an approach based on partitioning acceleration was used. This was applied to accelerometer data from 13 dogs which were walked a set distance and filmed. Each footfall captured on video was annotated. In a second experiment, an approach based on signal features was used to estimate distance travelled. This was applied to accelerometer data from 10 dogs with osteoarthritis during normal walks with their owners where GPS (Global Positioning System) was also captured. Pearson's correlations and Bland Altman statistics were used to compare i) the number of steps measured on video footage and predicted by the algorithm and ii) the distance travelled estimated by GPS and predicted by the algorithm. Results: Both step count and distance travelled could be estimated accurately by the algorithms presented in this paper: 4695 steps were annotated from the video and the pedometer was able to detect 91%. GPS logged a total of 20,184 m meters across all dogs; the mean difference between the predicted and GPS estimated walk length was 211 m and the mean similarity was 79%. Conclusions: The algorithms described show promise in detecting number of steps and distance travelled from an accelerometer. The approach for detecting steps might be advantageous to methods which estimate gross activity because these include energy output from stationary activities. The approach for estimating distance might be suited to replacing GPS in indoor environments or others with limited satellite signal. The algorithms also allow for temporal and spatial components of ambulation to be calculated. Temporal and spatial aspects of dog ambulation are clinical indicators which could be used for diagnosis or monitoring of certain diseases, or used to provide information in support of canine weight-loss programmes.

Proceedings of the 8th ACM International Conference on PErvasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments, 2015

Many vulnerable individuals own an assistance dog. Previous work has shown that a domestic alarm, Ringsel, allows assistance dogs to "call for help" via a canine interface that they interact with by pulling a detachment off with their mouths. Here we discuss the potential for systems like the Ringsel to leverage distinct behavioral patterns exhibited by the canine users to aid the automatic detection of emergencies by being used in coordination with existing assistive technologies for emergency detection and response.

2018

Search and rescue operations in the context of emergency response to human or natural disasters have the major goal of finding potential victims in the shortest possible time. Multi-agent teams, which can include specialized human respondents, robots and canine units, complement the strengths and weaknesses of each agent, like all-terrain mobility or capability to locate human beings. However, efficient coordination of heterogeneous agents requires specific means to locate the agents, and to provide them with the information they require to complete their mission. The major contribution of this work is an application of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) to gather information from a multi-agent team and to make it available to the rest of the agents while keeping coverage. In particular, a canine agent has been equipped with a mobile node installed on a harness, providing information about the dog's location as well as gas levels. The configuration of the mobile node allows for flexible arrangement of the system, being able to integrate static as well as mobile nodes. The gathered information is available at an external database, so that the rest of the agents and the control center can use it in real time. The proposed scheme has been tested in realistic scenarios during search and rescue exercises.

Proceedings of the 6th International Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing Conference on ZZZ - IWCMC '10, 2010

Canine Augmentation Technology (CAT) is a telepresence system worn by search canines to be used in Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) operations. The intended purpose of CAT is as a tool for search teams and emergency managers to sense the situation when the dog finds a survivor in a collapsed structure. Data about the environment is transmitted to searchers and managers from the dog who may be able to penetrate further into a rubble pile than humans. Certain critical information can help the rescue team by allowing them to understand the situation around the victim before they actually attempt the rescue. This paper describes the latest developments in the CAT prototypes as well as discusses the improvements from previous versions and makes comparisons to other telepresence systems used in US&R operations.

2006 IEEE/SMC International Conference on System of Systems Engineering

The agility, sense of smell, hearing and speed of dogs is put to good use by dedicated canine teams involved in Search and Rescue operations. Perhaps the weakest link in the human-dog team is the human. In comparison to dogs, humans hear less, cannot effectively follow a scent and actually slow the dog down when involved in area searches. To mitigate this problem the Network-Centric Applied Research Team has been working with the Ontario Provincial Police to augment SAR dogs with a suite of supporting technologies to extend the dog's potential area of operation and allow a greater distance between dog and handler. Through Canine Augmentation Technology we hope to allow canine handlers to see what the dog sees, hear what the dog hears, know where the dog is and be able to communicate with the dog at extended distances.