Home > Press Releases > Press Release #1360 > Appendix 1
Appendix 1

Abstract of the new projects

Sub-topic1: Victim-detection technologies

Project Title Principal Investigator
(JST side)
Abstract of Project Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which the project can contribute
Principal Investigator
(EU side)
1 Coordinated Use of miniaturized Robotic equipment and advanced Sensors for search and rescue OpeRations (CURSOR) Satoshi TADOKORO, Professor, Graduate School of Information Sciences, Tohoku University This project will develop 'CURSOR SaR (search and rescue) Kit' by which a number of soft miniaturized ground robots with gas sensors for human detection and aerial robots having ground penetrating radars gather information inside debris by cooperation, and an information management system integrates, analyzes and recognizes the gathered information in order to assist victim search and to ascertain the situation. The ground robots are dropped by the aerial robots on to the debris followed by penetrating and distributing inside the debris for the search. The kit analyzes the gathered information necessary for the SaR operation, rapidly finds victims trapped in the debris, localizes their positions, and provides the information to the first responders in real time to support their decision. In this project, the Japan team will research into the soft miniaturized robots which are IoT edge sensor devices as a component of the kit by collaboration with the EU partners. The robots penetrate into and move in the debris autonomously and remotely as a distributed cooperative system as a future tool of first responders of SaR. SDGs 9SDGs 11
Klaus-Dieter BÜTTGEN, Head, Research Division, THW(Federal Agency of Technical Relief),Germany

Sub-topic2: Open

Project Title Principal Investigator
(JST side)
Abstract of Project Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which the project can contribute
Principal Investigator
(EU side)
2 First responder Advanced technologies for Safe and efficient Emergency Response (FASTER) Yuri Adrian TIJERINO, Professor, School & Graduate School of Policy Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University This project aims to address the challenges associated with the protection of first responders in hazardous environments, while at the same time enhancing their capabilities in terms of situational awareness and communication. The project will develop innovative tools covering 1) Data collection, 2) Operational capabilities through advanced technologies, 3) Educational and risk assessment tools for individual and community-centered health assessment and disaster scene analysis for early warning and risk mitigation, 4) Improved ergonomics through augmented reality tools for enhanced information streaming, 5) Resilient communication at the field level and at the infrastructure level, 6) Tactical situational awareness providing innovative visualization services and 7) efficient cooperation and interoperability amongst first responders. On the Japanese side, we will provide blockchain technology to allow first responders and disaster relief mission partners to interoperate via a distributed network of truth that enables, a) resource control distribution as all parties are equally entitled and can continue to use their own resource planning systems; b) real-time partner interoperability by providing a single source of truth for which transaction history can be accessed openly; c) voluntary participation capabilities where participants can join or leave the network at any time; and, d) data sovereignty without requiring unnecessary or unwanted information exposure. SDGs 4SDGs 9
SDGs 11
Petros DARAS, Researcher, Information Technologies Institute, Center for Research and Technology Hellas, Greece

JST, an integrated organization of science and technology in Japan, establishes an infrastructure for the entire process from the creation of knowledge to the return to the society. For more information, visit https://www.jst.go.jp/EN/