In a rescue mission, the biggest obstacle faced by the rescuers is the unfamiliar interiors of the burning building, and could pose as a navigation hindrance. Researchers have come up with a new method called simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM) that allows robots to visualize a mental map of a location. This technique can be useful for robotic cars to navigate on unfamiliar streets. Similarly a helmet packed with sensors and SLAM software (designed to give robots a sense of direction) could build instant maps to help rescuers navigate through smoke filled interiors during a rescue mission. When a robot moves, the distance sensors and cameras measure and record the distances to surrounding objects. This makes it possible to build an accurate map of the area.

Burcu Cinaz at the University of Bremen in Germany and Holger Kenn at the European Microsoft Innovation Center, Achen, Germany, believe this application will help in speeding the rescue operation and familiarizing the rescuer with the territory. "Under heavy smoke, neither [a rescue worker's] own vision nor information captured by cameras is sufficient for localization and mapping," says Kenn. "However, there are technologies available that can penetrate smoke." The helmet needs to be refined a bit because the motion of a moving person (bobbing of head) could distort the data received by the sensors.

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