CMU, Pitt robots race to save lives in DARPA contest

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh are teaming up to compete in a Department of Defense contest to use robotics and AI to help advance global emergency response efforts.

Why it matters: Winning a federal contest would bring more recognition to Pittsburgh innovators like CMU and Pitt and further place the region on the map as a robotics and tech powerhouse.

Driving the news: The collaboration, named Team Chiron, completed a test last week at Pittsburgh International Airport's training facility, using robots equipped with cameras and sensors to navigate a staged plane crash and triage mannequins and actors with simulated injuries.

Context: The DARPA Triage Challenge is a three-year, $7 million competition to design autonomous and remote robotics systems that can assess injuries and monitor vital signs after disasters or emergencies.

• Team Chiron is competing against 10 other teams in the systems category and will receive $1.5 million if it wins.
• The challenge has three different categories: systems, virtual and data.

🦾 How it works: The team has two ground robots (one named Spot and the other named Spotless) and one drone.

• The drone is deployed first, rising above the simulated crash to assess the damage and instruct the ground robots on how and where to approach.
• The ground robots then use radar, multi-spectral and infrared cameras to check the victims' vitals and send that information to AI.
• AI then analyzes the information and sends reports to doctors.
• Doctors and other first responders track the robots' movements through video.

State of play: The goal is to shorten response times so disaster victims can receive medical attention within the "golden hour," the critical time period immediately following a traumatic injury or medical emergency, said Leonard Weiss, an associate professor in the Emergency Medicine Department at Pitt.

• "We need to find the fastest way to serve life-threatening injuries, and these robots can get there the quickest," he said.

Between the lines: Team Chiron leader Kim Elenberg said robots have many advantages over humans, like being able to respond in the dark and not getting tired.

• "I remember when I responded to 9/11, the fatigue," said Eleberg, who served as a nurse in the Army for nearly three decades. "These [robots] don't get fatigued."

What's next: The next round of presentations for the DARPA challenge is Sept. 27-Oct. 4 in Georgia.

The bottom line: Elenberg is confident in Team Chiron's chances, thanks to Pittsburgh's strong tech ecosystem.

• "The way that Pittsburgh leans in to develop this technology is incredible," she said.