Notre Dame Engineers Develop Flexible Robot for Search and Rescue in Collapsed Structures

Engineers at the University of Notre Dame are collaborating with emergency response teams to develop a flexible robot capable of navigating rubble, locating trapped survivors, and helping rescue teams determine safer paths forward.

The new "vine robot" is designed to enhance situational awareness and extend the reach of first responders into spaces where traditional tools struggle. Following structural collapses, rescue personnel face the challenge of finding individuals beneath concrete and debris without increasing risk to their own crews.

Current tools, including dogs and acoustic devices, offer utility but have limitations. Search cameras, often mounted on telescoping poles, cannot access the narrow, twisting voids common in collapsed buildings. The soft robot, developed by researchers at Notre Dame and MIT Lincoln Laboratory, can twist around obstacles and extend up to 30 feet into confined spaces, carrying a camera at its tip.

The robot's development involves close partnership with rescue professionals who are testing and refining the technology based on field requirements. The robot has undergone testing at a mock collapsed building in Massachusetts and with a local regional search and rescue team in Indiana. The goal is to ensure the robot is as useful and safe as possible, aiding teams in narrowing their search and better understanding unstable environments.

The technology could also find future applications beyond disaster response, such as in security and humanitarian operations in conflict zones.