Experiments with the RoboCup Rescue Simulator in a post Earthquake Emergency Italian Scenario

In this paper we present the achievements of a research project, based on the RoboCup rescue simulator, carried out in Italy in collaboration with the Italian Fire Department. The overall goal is to devise tools to allow for monitoring and supporting decisions which are needed in a real-time rescue operation in a post earthquake scenario. As for the experiments, we have addressed the problem of task allocation by providing an experimental analysis of different strategies in different operative conditions. Moreover, we are currently extending the experimental analysis to feature-level information acquisition and integration. Finally, we discuss the limitation and potential for application of simulation based tools and the RoboCup Rescue Simulation, in particular, based on the experience gained through the collaboration with the Italian Fire Department.