Authors: Assistant Professor Biju George.G
Abstract: Earthquakes often create hazardous environments that delay rescue operations and increase risks to emergency responders. This paper presents a low-cost Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled autonomous rescue robot designed to assist in earthquake search and rescue missions through real-time monitoring and multi-sensor integration. The proposed system employs an Arduino Uno as the central controller and integrates a Passive Infrared (PIR) sensor for human detection, an ultrasonic sensor for obstacle avoidance, an MQ-series gas sensor for hazardous gas detection, a GPS module for victim localization, and an ESP32-CAM module for live video surveillance. Sensor data are transmitted through an ESP8266 NodeMCU to the Blynk IoT platform, enabling remote monitoring of environmental conditions, survivor alerts, and robot location. The developed prototype was experimentally evaluated under laboratory conditions to validate its sensing, navigation, communication, and monitoring capabilities. Experimental results demonstrate reliable human detection, obstacle avoidance, hazardous gas monitoring, GPS-based localization, and real-time data transmission with low implementation cost and reduced computational complexity. The proposed system offers a practical and scalable solution for improving rescue efficiency while minimizing the exposure of rescue personnel to hazardous environments. The modular architecture also provides flexibility for future enhancements using artificial intelligence and advanced sensing technologies.
