Kitagawa-Tsukagoshi Lab, Tokyo Institute of Technology
The Kitagawa and Tsukagoshi Laboratory is part of the Tokyo Institute of Technology’s Graduate School of Science and Engineering, under the Department of Mechanical and Control Engineering. The Lab has been focusing not only on the flexibility and the high- speed response of fluids, but also on the development of new driving valves, robots, and actuators that can be utilized in tough terrains and environments throughout the globe.
Through this technology, the Japanese laboratory aims to make robots that can be used for real rescue missions, especially in dangerous situations that could put human lives in danger.
Headed by Professors Hideyuki Tsukagoshi and Ato Kitagawa, the laboratory is responsible for various projects, which include New Valves and Actuators, Control Systems, Body Assisting Systems, Rescue Robots and Applicating Systems, among others.
One of their projects, the Bari-bari-I,II: Development of Jack-up Mobile Robot, is one that the school can truly be proud of. Here, researchers envision robots that can swiftly perform search and rescue for victims, especially those trapped beneath rubbles. A stair-shaped structure allows this robot to move forward and at the same time lift the obstacle that traps the victim below it.
Another rescue robot that the lab has developed is slowly taking shape, the Higher Jumping Rescue Robot: Leg-in Rotor. Here, researchers aim to make a robot that can efficiently search for victims trapped under collapsed buildings. The design of this robot allows it to move in narrow spaces where victims are usually located during a disaster.
Instead of walking, the Leg-in Rotor robot uses compressed air when it jumps and electric power when it rolls. It has a camera which relays the images back to its controller telling them where the potential victim may be located, or informing them of the integrity of the building. This warns people about how safe or how hazardous the building has become.
Since Japan is prone to landslides, which are caused by rain or snow, this laboratory has also developed a Searching Device Under Ground and Snow. Here, researchers aim to create a device that can confirm whether there is a victim beneath the sand, earth or snow. This is possible through a sensor that is inserted in the soil.
