And they will always be limited in what they can do. Humans Are Key Robots will never replace humans in the desperate effort to save others, says retired Army Lt. Col. John Blitch, director of the newly formed Center for Robot Assisted Search and Rescue, who rushed to New York from Washington with several robots to see if they could be of any help. The robots were particularly helpful in sending back infrared images from heat emitted by objects in their field of view. That aided in the discovery of some body parts, and also alerted searchers to extremely hot areas where fire could be expected. But they didn't rescue anyone.
People rescue people.
What robots can do is provide assistance. Robin R. Murphy, a computer scientist at the University of South Florida in Tampa, also rushed to New York following the disaster and headed up one of four teams working with Blitch. One works as a supply van, the other as a reconnaissance vehicle. The smaller device was able to work its way into some very tight areas, Murphy says, and it located some body parts and the remains of two victims, but no survivors. They think of it as a camera on wheels.