Citation: Li, L.; Zhao, Z.
Comprehensive Performance
Evaluation of Earthquake Search and
Rescue Robots Based on Improved
FAHP and Radar Chart. Appl. Sci.
2024, 14, 3099. https://doi.org/
10.3390/app14073099
Academic Editor: José António
Correia
Received: 22 February 2024
Revised: 24 March 2024
Accepted: 3 April 2024
Published: 7 April 2024
Copyright: © 2024 by the authors.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).
Article
Comprehensive Performance Evaluation of Earthquake Search
and Rescue Robots Based on Improved FAHP and Radar Chart
Liming Li and Zeang Zhao *
Institute of Advanced Structure Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China;
7520210054@bit.edu.cn
* Correspondence: zza@bit.edu.cn
Abstract: To effectively enhance the adaptability of earthquake rescue robots in dynamic environ-
ments and complex tasks, there is an urgent need for an evaluation method that quantifies their
performance and facilitates the selection of rescue robots with optimal overall capabilities. In this
paper, twenty-two evaluation criteria are proposed based on a comprehensive review of existing
evaluation criteria for rescue robots across various domains. The evaluation criteria are tested using
the test modules developed by the National Earthquake Response support service, obtaining the
corresponding values for each criterion. Then, the weights of the criterion layer and comprehensive
evaluation index are determined based on the analytical hierarch process and trapezoidal fuzzy num-
ber complementary judgment matrix, and a new consistency test method is proposed. The qualitative
evaluation and quantitative analysis are effectively combined to overcome the subjective influence of
expert decision-making. Additionally, the performance of three earthquake search and rescue robots
is comprehensively evaluated and ranked using the improved radar chart method as an empirical
example. Finally, the robustness of the ranking results is examined using a weight sensitivity analysis.
The results of the sensitivity analysis demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed
method, thereby providing valuable insights for developing multi-objective optimization control
strategies and structural designs for earthquake search and rescue robots.
Keywords: improve fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (IFAHP); evaluation criteria; comprehensive
evaluation; improved radar chart; earthquake search and rescue robots; sensitivity analysis
1. Introduction
As crucial equipment for earthquake rescue operations, a comprehensive set of multi-
dimensional and multi-level performance indexes for earthquake search and rescue robots
can effectively serve as the key evaluation criteria to reflect the efficiency and quality of
rescue operations [
1
]. Consequently, evaluating the performance of earthquake search
and rescue robots in terms of both quantitative and qualitative measures proves to be a
challenging task due to the diversity and complexity of performance indexes.
Numerous theories have been proposed to evaluate the performance of rescue robots.
Li, Yutan, et al. [
2
] have evaluated the walking performance of coal mine rescue robots in
terms of various performance indexes, including the maximum trench width, maximum
obstacle height, maximum climbing angle, and stair climbing capability. Zhang, Di et al. [
3
]
have assessed the locomotion capabilities of an earthquake search and rescue robot in terms
of its performance in flat terrain traversal, climbing steps, rotational movement, ascending
slopes, and aerial maneuverability. Zhao, Jing, et al. [
4
] have evaluated the efficiency of
quadruped rescue robots based on their capabilities in survival, locomotion, operation, and
environmental interaction. Baek, Jun, et al. [
5
] have conducted an analysis of the impact
factors of mobile rescue robots for human body detection, encompassing communication
time and life body identification. However, solely relying on these performance indexes
is insufficient for evaluating the performance of earthquake search and rescue robots.
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14, 3099. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14073099 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci
