RFID-based Location System for Forest Search and Rescue Missions

This paper presents the framework of an RFID-based rescue robot for missing people in forest environment. The three main design considerations include the reliability, the cost, and the environmental sustainability. For that, the paper analyzes different outdoor location technologies that can be used for this task, namely GPS, WiMAX and RFID. Former research in mobile robots based on GPS and WiMAX has resulted in high costs systems while RFID offers a lower cost alternative. The aim of this work is to provide an already existing mobile robot with RFID technology. Moreover, to overcome the inability of current rescue robots to detect human presence, the addition of an Infrared camera with thermal sensors is discussed. Finally, in order to optimize the energy management and to increase the autonomy of the rescue robot, the paper presents a power supply solution using solar energy.