The Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR) is a Type II Center at the University of South Florida, with Dr. Robin Murphy as the overall Director. It serves as crisis response and research organization which strives to direct and exploit new technology development in robotics and unmanned systems for humanitarian purposes worldwide. It was originally established under the auspices of NIUSR (National Institute for Urban Search and Rescue), and participated in the WTC response, deploying robots on Towers 1 and 2, Building 4, and other areas from the early morning of 9/12/2001 through 10/2/2001.   
Our mission is to serve existing rescue organizations by providing deployable robot-assisted search and rescue teams on order, certifying and training SAR personnel on operationally relevant robot systems, evaluating emerging robot technologies, and fostering research into SAR-specific robot systems. We strive to accomplish our mission through the following process:

• Research: CRASAR promotes and directs SAR specific research regarding innovative robot design, human robot interaction, and enabling technology development which ensures that platforms and operators remain effective and operationally relevant for the entire range of crisis response challenges. Research activities cover the spectrum from providing expert advice, obtaining funding, directing applied and basic research, and forming partnerships with the international industrial and academic communities.
• Evaluate: CRASAR tests and evaluates emerging robot technologies and human-robot interactions in realistic conditions to determine the readiness of the equipment for demanding field conditions, relevance to expected operational scenarios, usability with the operator, and impact on the response infrastructure.
• Deploy: CRASAR deploys on order into crisis sites and hazardous areas around the globe with self sufficient robotic systems that can operate in areas that are physically inaccessible or operationally undesirable for humans, canines, or other search and rescue assets. Our specific objective is to augment and support existing rescue organizations, not replace them. CRASAR provides trained personnel to operate and maintain the robots and/or loan robots (with on-site training and maintenance) as needed.
• Train: CRASAR acts as a focal point for certification and training of human-robot systems oriented on the search and rescue task domain by drawing on the extensive experience base and research perspective of its staff, council members, and partner organizations.

Find more details about the CRASAR Research, Evaluate, Deploy, and Train process.

Why is CRASAR Successful?

The breadth of CRASAR is the key to success. One example is the story of how CRASAR developed a medical triage sensor. While cross-training with the USMC Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF), members of the response team identified the need for a small, inexpensive sensor that can tell if a victim is dead or unconscious. (Why is this important? If rescuers find a victim, it can take over 10 people 10 hours to extract them. This means that 1/2 of a response team could be tied up for 20% of the initial 48 hours after incident where the most survivors are found. Imagine the impact if the victim is dead, not unconscious.) Within six months, a prototype was constructed by CRASAR researchers and successfully tested in the field by CRASAR. The sensor is now being cooperatively commercialized by Radiance Technologies and USF. The triage sensor can be used by first responders to triage victims of a chem/bio attack, or by robots in battlefield medicine to help protect medics from being shot by snipers.