Earthquake disaster and expectation for robotics

In Japan, research into rescue robotics was triggered by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in Kobe in 1995. Statistics data show that earthquake disasters pose a serious threat to many cities in the world, therefore, it is essential to be prepared for these disasters. In order to mitigate the damage, various countermeasures and key strategies have been investigated, determined, and are being implemented. Equipment and methods of search and rescue must be improved by advanced technologies because it is most important to save human lives in any disaster. Robotics can contribute toward (1) assisting search and rescue operations that are impossible or difficult to perform by humans, (2) reducing risk of secondary damage, and (3) improving speed of operations to raise survival rate, for first responders.