A multipurpose mobile manipulator for autonomous firefighting and construction of outdoor structures

Abstract

This paper describes the implementation of a multipurpose, autonomous, mobile manipulator for building outdoor structures and for firefighting. Such a system finds applications in different industrial automation, manufacturing, and civil-construction scenarios as well as in search-and-rescue operations. This system was developed for the Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC) 2020, showcasing once again the role of major scientific competitions in advancing the state of the art and exploring solutions to open problems. The paper presents in detail the hardware and software architectures of the developed mobile manipulator, while proposing methods for: a) Building outdoor structures consisting of heterogeneous brick patterns, and b) Entering buildings to locate and extinguish fires. Solutions were successfully deployed in the near-realistic arenas of the MBZIRC 2020 competition and resulted in the first-place award for the firefighting scenario.