Analysis of firefighting skill with a teleoperated robot

Teleoperated robots are expected to perform tasks in extreme environments such as disaster sites. However, only few teleoperated robots are used for this purpose because their usability is poor compared to human skill in such tasks. Further, the use of human–machine interfaces used by teleoperated robots is in itself a human skill. In this study, we compare the skills of firefighters (experts) when using teleoperated robots and that of firefighters (novice) and analyze the results. Firefighters gain technical skills required for fighting fires from practical experiences; in comparison, novice firefighters have trouble acquiring these skills. We conducted a comparative experiment of the reconnaissance skills of firefighters in which ten firefighters (five novices and five experts) reconnoiter two simulated fire sites (one in a residential area and the other in a commercial facility area) with a teleoperated robot. The experimental results indicated that experts were more multifaceted in their evaluation of reconnaissance areas as compared to novices.