[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 71 (Thursday, April 14, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19731-19732]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-7502]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Public Forum on Urban Search and Rescue Robot Performance 
Standards

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Meeting notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will 
host, in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a 
public meeting from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 13, 2005 at the NIST campus 
in Gaithersburg, MD. This meeting pertains to a new DHS Program to 
develop comprehensive standards related to the development, testing, 
and certification of effective technologies for Urban Search and Rescue 
(US&R) robotics. These US&R robotic performance standards cover 
sensing, mobility, navigation, planning, integration, and operator 
control in order to ensure that the robots can meet operational 
requirements under the extremely challenging conditions that rescuers 
are faced with, including long endurance missions. The standards will 
also address issues of robotic component interoperability to reduce 
costs. The US&R robotic standards effort focuses on fostering 
collaboration between first responders, robot vendors, and technology 
developers to advance consensus standards for task specific

[[Page 19732]]

robot capabilities and interoperability of components. These standards 
will allow DHS to provide guidance to local, state, and federal 
homeland security entities regarding the purchase, deployment and use 
of US&R robotic systems. The meeting is intended as a method of 
disseminating information pertaining to this newly initiated program. 
Attendees at the May 13 forum are expected to include: robot platform 
vendors, robot peripherals and software providers, sensor (chemical, 
biological, radiological, nuclear, environmental) providers, 
researchers working on robotic components, platforms, and algorithms, 
government agencies working on applicable robotic technologies and 
sensors, federal, state, and local responders and response agencies, 
and testing and evaluation sites and laboratories. There will be an $80 
charge for this meeting and pre-registration is required. An electronic 
registration site will be available at http://www.isd.mel.nist.gov/US&R_Robot_Standards.

DATES: The forum will begin on May 13, 2005 at 9 a.m. and conclude at 
4:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The workshop will be held at the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD. Directions and instructions 
for registration in order to gain admittance to the site are available 
at http://www.isd.mel.nist.gov/US&R_Robot_Standards.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elena Messina, Leader, Knowledge 
Systems Group, 100 Bureau Drive/MS 8230, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8230. 
Telephone (301) 975-3235 or e-mail [email protected].

    Dated: April 7, 2005.
Hratch G. Semerjian,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 05-7502 Filed 4-13-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P