Autonomous Rescue & Inspection System Project Demonstration

Why It Matters

AIS offers a practical, low‑cost solution for first‑responder teams to assess dangerous sites remotely, reducing personnel risk and accelerating rescue operations.

Key Takeaways

• Dual-power architecture separates motor pack from ESP32 power bank
• Asynchronous WebSocket server enables telemetry without blocking motor control
• Proportional feedback controller maintains straight heading during exploration
• Finite state machine halts rover on gas or obstacle detection
• System demonstrates reliable autonomous rescue in structurally compromised environments

Summary

The video showcases the Autonomous Rescue and Inspection System (AIS), a differential‑drive rover designed to navigate hazardous, structurally compromised environments. Built around an ESP32 controller, the platform integrates a multimodal sensor suite—including an MQ‑6 gas sensor, ultrasonic rangefinder, and MPU‑6050 IMU—while employing a strict dual‑power architecture that isolates high‑current motor supplies from the microcontroller’s dedicated bank.

Key technical choices include a three‑second boot calibration that samples 200 IMU readings to offset gyroscope drift, and an asynchronous WebSocket pipeline that streams telemetry at 4 Hz without stalling the main motor‑control loop. A proportional feedback controller continuously corrects bearing errors, while a finite‑state machine prioritizes safety: exceeding gas thresholds or detecting obstacles within 25 cm triggers immediate motor shutdown or an invasive point‑turn maneuver.

Demonstrations feature a simulated alcohol‑swab hazard that forces the rover into a “hazard detected” state, halting motion and flashing alerts on the dashboard. The system also logs low‑level boot diagnostics via the serial monitor, confirming SPI flash integrity and I²C bus health before autonomous operation begins.

By marrying sense‑plan‑act principles with robust hardware design, AIS proves that reliable, low‑latency autonomous platforms can operate in disaster zones, keeping human responders out of danger and providing real‑time environmental data for decision‑makers.

Original Description

Saksham Bansal demonstrates the Autonomous Rescue & Inspection System project that won the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Best in Thread Award at the Innovate ECE Ultimate Thread Competition.