Performance Test, Index System Establishment, and Comprehensive Evaluation of Earthquake Rescue Robots

To effectively enhance the adaptability of earthquake rescue robots in dynamic environments and complex tasks, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive evaluation method that encompasses establishing an evaluation index system, testing performance indexes, and conducting performance evaluation. Firstly, four main criterion and twenty-three sub-criterion indexes are established by conducting a comprehensive review of existing assessment measures for rescue robots across diverse domains. These indexes are validated through test modules developed by the National Earthquake Response Support Service to obtain corresponding values for each criterion. Moreover, a method for establishing the index system is proposed based on the fuzzy clustering analysis and grey correlation analysis methods. This method effectively addresses issues related to excessive subjectivity, redundancy, and ambiguous stratification of indexes. Subsequently, the DEMATEL is employed to scrutinize the interrelationships and causal connections among each index within the established index system, leading to the identification of input and output indexes based on the analysis outcomes. Finally, as an empirical example, three earthquake rescue robots are comprehensively evaluated and ranked using the super efficiency DEA model. Alongside analyzing results regarding input redundancy and output deficiency, targeted improvement suggestions are provided for each earthquake rescue robot. Additionally, comparison analysis with the entropy weight method and VIKOR method verifies the effectiveness of our proposed method.