Embodied robots for disaster relief: Chinese researchers press forward

Disaster rescue is AI's ultimate unstructured challenge — and Chinese researchers are racing to solve it.

Cai Panpan, a full-time mentor at Shanghai Innovation Institute and an associate professor at the School of Artificial Intelligence, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, shared with China Daily that disaster rescue is one of the most challenging scenarios for embodied AI robots. Disaster sites cannot be visited in advance and are entirely unstructured.

She expressed regret that no embodied intelligent robot can yet effectively assist affected populations in the recent flooding in Guangxi, but researchers are actively developing technologies for potential applications in disaster zones — such as locating survivors, delivering supplies, and performing preliminary operations before rescue teams arrive.

"I hope robots can truly make a difference, so that people can have an extra layer of safety in times of disaster," she said.