Resumen
This article focuses on the use of rescue robotics in homeland security. Rescue robotics is gaining increasing attention as the first new advance in emergency response since the advent of boroscopes and cameras on poles 15 years ago. Robots were used from September 11 to October 2, 2001 to search for victims and help assess the structural integrity of the World Trade Center foundation under the direction of the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR). Since then CRASAR has expanded the utility of rescue robots to include victim management and is working to use robots for shoring up structures to speed up extrications of survivors. In the aftermath of September 11, 2001 CRASAR has taken on the role of midwife to smooth the key research from laboratories all over the world to hands of responders. As a result of the expertise as both researchers and users, many major research issues has been identified. The physical attributes of the robot itself require improvement.