Technological Solution That Can Bridge a Gap - Assignment Example

Technological Solution That Can Bridge A Gap, Fix A Problem or Somehow Benefit Risk, Crisis or Emergency Management Introduction In present days, hi-tech technology such as robotics has become one of the significant solutions for several long-lasting problems in numerous industries. The current technologies are unable to completely discourse gap, complexity, and difficulties related with certain organizational tasks, which can result in disasters and risky consequences. Therefore, it is essential to overcome such limitations by developing advanced and practical technological solutions that can successfully bridge the gap or fix the problems and ultimately ensure occurrence of fewer incidents. Robotics or robot technology can play a significant part in this context, which supports quick reaction in tough and unsafe working environments by substituting employees to perform the risky tasks. Fulfilling the requirements of such risky tasks involves independent control, planning and navigation, instrument fusion and machine astuteness. Robot technology can be used for preventing any problem or issue while ensuring quality and safety of human beings (Habib & Baudoin, 2010). The paper will describe the most significant problems for emergency management, and will propose the requirement for using robotic technological solutions to bridge the gap and accomplish the objectives. Background of the Study Crisis management is a significant area in robot technology which is developed for making major impacts towards dealing with emergency situations. The robots are expected to support in emergency conducts by improving the safety and the security of people throughout the operations. Robots can use advanced instruments and tools in those circumstances which are inconvenient for general people. The recent improvements in robot system and equipment have made the work of rescuing people possible even in harsh environments. Human beings face several difficulties in managing crisis due to several obstructions of environment, which create a gap in performance and objectives of crisis management. The robot technology provides one of the best solutions for bridging the gap in crisis management as it can perform better compared to human beings and certain other technologies (Tadokoro, Matsuno, Nardi, & Jacof, 2009). Problem Statement Presently, the computer and information technology (IT) has brought significant revolution in data processing. The utilization of computer technology and IT is widely spread in present era. Traditionally, the computer and IT was only limited to management of files, however, nowadays they are being used in observing the condition of entire planet and helping to generate information. The concurrent information about any incident is precious because it can help to take proper measures for any kind of crisis or emergency situation. Computer and IT not only help to generate or display information, but also enable sharing of information to other people positioned at a distance from a certain event (Sahu, n.d.). In majority of circumstances, the crises are managed by the emergency management personnel employed by the local or federal authorities. Technological advancements have allowed increased security and capability to display the location of personnel. Yet, there is a gap between technology and safety because computer and IT cannot help people in extreme conditions such as hot region or hazardous sector, which might be the core area of crisis. The computer and IT system can increase the communication with people which is definitely important for any kind of crisis. However, the gap in safety of rescue people can be bridged though applying the robot technology. The development of robot technology has made it easy for performing operations in emergency situations which are extremely unsafe for rescue personnel. The use of robot technology has greatly impacted the operations of fire and other emergency departments (Southerly, 2006). Aim of the Proposal The aim of the proposal is to provide valuable insights to the non-technical audience regarding the importance of using robot technology in crisis management and disaster operations. This proposal will describe to what extent the robot technology can be used in different emergency situations. It will give an idea about how the utilization of robot technology can solve the security and the safety problems of people during crisis management and bridge the gap between performance and safety objectives. Furthermore, it will also describe the limitation of using robot technology, and provide recommendation for further improvement in management of crisis. Robot Technology for Possible Solution of Emergency Problems Robot technology which can be well adapted in the emergency condition can increase the safety as well as the security of rescue workers along with providing improvement in work efficacy, output and flexibility. Advanced computer and IT along with robot technology can provide possible solutions for emergency problems. Overall, it is well recognized that several disaster places are quite dangerous for human investigations and are physically unapproachable in spite of requiring critical decisions and providing necessary assistance to save the people. Therefore, robot technology is the perfect solution which can well adjust to the hazardous environments of unstructured and unfamiliar situation. Using robot technology can ensure safety and security of rescue personnel and improve the crisis management efficiency (Khalil, Abdel-Aziz, Nazmy & Salem, n.d.). Crisis management requires critical actions and coordinated application of resources, services and efforts. Crisis management comprises activities prior to the crisis, activities in reaction to the crisis and activities throughout the way of crisis. Depending on the degree and the difficulty of crisis, the reaction can be extensive or medium-scale which involves using technological solutions such as robots. Using robot technology will provide variety of functions in the crisis environment, such as field examination, making diagrams and will accelerate the search for sufferers or survivors. One significant example of using robot technology is during the terrorist attack of 9/11 in New York, where “MicroTracs Robots” had been used for searching for the survivors inside collapsed buildings, and during the disaster of “Hurricane Katrina” and “Hurricane Wilma” in the USA, where “Aerial Robots” had been used for dealing with the crisis (Khalil, Abdel-Aziz, Nazmy & Salem, n.d.). Robots are quite useful in activities such as searching and rescuing operations. The rescue workers generally need to search for the victims within 48 hours for any kind of disaster; because beyond this time, the possibility of survival of the people trapped in crisis situation becomes less. For any rescue team, they need to deal with four different conditions which are quick reaction, safety of saviors, risky environment and inappropriate tools. These aspects avert rescue workers from searching and solving the issues of crisis. Furthermore, the individual risk for becoming worse condition of situation creates a gap between performance and objective of crisis management. In any crisis management situation, the rescuers can get caught in the cross fire or can be crushed by the collision of buildings or may be injured by hazardous chemical. In this context, the robot technology is much useful. Robots are designed to easily dodge the danger of environmental hazards and search for the survivors much effectively compared to rescue teams. Robots have the ability to pilot through securely restrained places which cannot be approached by human beings. Robot technology can also be positioned in huge crisis to search numerous positions instantaneously for accelerating the search procedure. Robot can map the disaster area and identify the location of victim by using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices. Throughout the search process, Robot technology uses the radio transmitted tools to communicate with the survivors. Robots are also useful in measuring the condition of victims by assessing their heartbeat rate as well as the body temperature, and therefore assist them with necessary food and medicine to survive (Khalil, Abdel-Aziz, Nazmy & Salem, n.d.). Types of Robots Used In Emergency Management Robots are manipulative and expert and have the ability to co-operate and perform activities spontaneously or semi-independently. There are three kinds of robots available for emergency management. The first type is those which can swap for the humans to perform in filthy, hazardous and deadly environment (such as performing under environments with high temperature, radioactive, underwater, battlefield, construction, underground and space). The second type of robots is those which perform with human beings in order to lessen difficulty or increase luxury (such as robots used for entertainment, re-integration, and for helping the elder or disabled people). The third type of robots is those which perform on human beings such as medical robots. These kinds of robots are used in situation such as operation, medical treatment, surgery and human body analysis. The main categories of robots which are used in emergency management are: Unmanned Aerial Robots: These kinds of robots can provide several benefits such as: Ability to drift for extended time at best possible height Generation of better information compared to satellite system Capability of getting closer in emergency sites which might be difficult for rescue teams In-built relocation ability (Habib & Baudoin, 2010). Unmanned Ground Robots: The unmanned ground robots are mostly used in difficult environmental conditions. The unmanned ground robots have following advantages during crisis management: Reaction without an assistance within the hindrance which may appear in the hazardous environment Free movement in unpleasant atmosphere Effective exchange of information with crisis centre Easy monitoring of sites Autonomous implementation of tasks (Habib & Baudoin, 2010) Under Sea Robots: Undersea robots have the advantage of performing tasks in water. These kinds of robots can stroll and plunge easily in the water medium. This type of robots can provide help to display the processes such as pollution exposure, video recording and survey of underwater situations among others. The undersea robots can be used for crisis management in order to search valuable objects beneath water which are inaccessible by rescue people (Habib & Baudoin, 2010). Space Robots: Space robots have variety of operations for crisis management which comprise investigation, environmental overhauling, assemblage, inspection, construction and preservation. In space, these activities are quite challenging for people without assistance of robot technology (Habib & Baudoin, 2010). Limitations of Robot Technology in Crisis Management The success of crisis management depends on collecting appropriate information and using the information for making critical decisions which can lessen the problems. It is evident that the complexities of crisis environment make it challenging for human beings to complete their responsibilities effectively. Therefore, it is useful to use robot technology in those circumstances in order to avoid any disaster and risky situation. However, robot technology alone is not sufficient for managing the crisis, as there are a few disadvantages of using robot technology. The most significant limitation of robot technology is its possibility of breakdown during crisis management operations. As robot performs in unpleasant working environment, such as heavy heat or cold, there is the possibility of mishap of the robotic system. Breakdown of robot can ruin a complete crisis management operation and it will be nearly impossible to recover it or repair it in due time. The other limitation of robot technology is the scope of occurrence of internal system faults. In robot technology, any unexpected error can lead to failure of link to robot with crisis management unit. As a result, the rescue team and crisis management department will be unable to get any report or information about the situation of crisis. The other limitation of robot technology is the cost. Implementing robot technology in crisis management situation is quite expensive. Furthermore, repairing or maintaining the robots require huge amount of investment, and there is always the risk of loss of money if the robot gets damaged while working in the crisis management situation (Matsubara & Urashima, 2005). Recommendations for Robot Technology in Crisis Management Every nation is exposed to disaster, whether it is caused by natural reasons or human related reasons. Whatever may be the reasons are quick reaction is necessary for managing any crisis. In future, the robot technology will be used in broader ways to deal with the crisis management problems and bridge the gap between crisis management objective and performance. In order to improve the performance of robots in crisis management, it should be modularized and reformed according to emergency situation. A robot should be capable of detecting any clue whether it is visual or audio, which can help to rescue in a better way. To avoid any breakdown or failure of link, the sensors and the other tools should be developed in such a way that they can work under critical environment. Robot technology must be reliable in sending information and must have the capability to adjust and deal with the crisis condition effectively. Besides, in order to ensure better crisis management, robot technology should perform with other alternative technologies such as “Semantic Web System” and “Multi Agent System” which are also designed for solving crisis problems and providing necessary information during the crisis (Khalil, Abdel-Aziz, Nazmy & Salem, n.d.). Conclusion In any crisis situation, the rescue personnel are often placed at high level of life risk which limits their performance. Temperature, radiation and hazardous chemical not only delay the time of rescue but also increase the risk of death for rescuers as well as the victims. Applying robot technology in crisis management situation not only reduces the risk of injury or harm to the people, but also can increase the speed and efficiency of rescue operations. Unlike human beings, robots are designed for working in different environments without getting exhausted with the tasks. Robot is a useful tool for crisis management, and it can perform those works which are challenging for human beings. Utilization of robot technology in crisis management will provide the benefit of using appropriate information and thereby making the right decisions to solve them. References Habib, M., & Baudoin, K. (2010). Robot-assisted risky intervention, search, rescue and environmental surveillance. International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems 7(1), pp. 001-008. Khalil, K.M., Abdel-Aziz, M., Nazmy, T. T., & Salem, A. M. (n.d.). The role of artificial intelligence technologies in crisis response. Retrieved from http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/0806/0806.1280.pdf Matsubara, Y., & Urashima, K. (2005). Science and technology trends in fire protection and disaster management. Quarterly Review 6(16), pp.1-87. Sahu, S. (n.d.). Guidebook on technologies for disaster preparedness and mitigation. Retrieved from http://www.technology4sme.net/docs/Guidebook%20on%20Technologies%20for%20Disaster%20Preparedness%20&%20Mitigation.pdf Southerly, M. (2006). Technology in Emergency Response. Retrieved from http://www.fireworld.com/ifw_articles/southerly.php Tadokoro, S., Matsuno, F., Nardi, D., & Jacof, A. (2009). Preface. Advanced Robotics 23(9), pp. 1023-1024. Read More