Robotic Inspection and Safe Removal of Suspicious/Abandoned Luggage

Concerns about terrorist acts of planting explosive and/or dangerous chemical/biological agents in public environments such as air and bus terminals have prompted preventative actions at all levels. One such possible measure is covered in this paper: detection, inspection and safe removal of suspicious/abandoned luggage. A number of specialized mobile robotic platforms take on a linked set of roles in reacting to video evidence of objects which remain stationary beyond a reasonable time interval. This paper outlines the overall strategy and the implementation details to date with respect to robotically averting the potential human risk associated with this type of terrorist threat with minimal risk to security personnel and bystanders alike.