A Multi-Robot Platform for Robotic Triage Combining Onboard Sensing and Foundation Models

TL;DR

This paper introduces a heterogeneous multi-robot system combining UAVs and UGVs for comprehensive remote triage in mass-casualty incidents, enhancing disaster response capabilities.

Contribution

It presents a complete multi-robot triage system integrating victim localization, injury assessment, and data sharing, addressing a gap in prior work focused only on exploration or limited medical tasks.

Findings

Effective victim localization and injury detection demonstrated

System successfully integrated data for first responders

Enhanced safety and efficiency in disaster scenarios

Abstract

This report presents a heterogeneous robotic system designed for remote primary triage in mass-casualty incidents (MCIs). The system employs a coordinated air-ground team of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) to locate victims, assess their injuries, and prioritize medical assistance without risking the lives of first responders. The UAV identify and provide overhead views of casualties, while UGVs equipped with specialized sensors measure vital signs and detect and localize physical injuries. Unlike previous work that focused on exploration or limited medical evaluation, this system addresses the complete triage process: victim localization, vital sign measurement, injury severity classification, mental status assessment, and data consolidation for first responders. Developed as part of the DARPA Triage Challenge, this approach demonstrates how multi-robot systems can augment human capabilities in disaster response scenarios to maximize lives saved.