Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Public safety

Response robots

News and Updates

NIST Names Joannie Chin as Director of Its Engineering Laboratory

December 20, 2021

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has selected Joannie Chin to lead its Engineering

A six-propeller drone sitting on the grass in front of a lake

NIST Announces Top 4 Winners in the National First Responder UAS Endurance Challenge

August 17, 2021

BOULDER, Colo. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently announced the four winners of the 2021 PSCR

An aerial drone sits on a launch pad before lifting off to start the NIST performance test course. Three sections of the course, poles with white bucket-shaped targets attached, are seen in the background.

NIST Performance Tests for Aerial Response Robots Become National Standard

December 4, 2018

Tracking the spread of a wildfire. Searching for a missing person. Detecting toxic fumes after an explosion before sending in rescue workers. These are just

Projects and Programs

Indoor Localization and Tracking

Completed

Please see the page that describes NIST work in this area.

Department of Homeland Security Response Robot Performance Standards

Ongoing

The Intelligent Systems Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology is conducting an ongoing project, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate and the National Institute of Justice, to produce a comprehensive set of standard test methods

Emergency Response Robots

Ongoing

Objective To develop the measurement science necessary to quantitatively evaluate the capabilities of autonomous and remotely operated robotic systems along with the proficiency of remote operators and pilots for emergency response applications. Technical Idea Emergency responder missions can be

Publications

Public Safety Communications Research, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Program Challenge Overview

July 22, 2024

Author(s)

Don Harriss, Terese Manley, Stephanie Layman

The Middle-Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act created the Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division at the National Institute of Standards and

Biosimulant Artifact with Embedded Calcium Alginate Bead Sensor for Robot Impact Safety Testing

November 5, 2015

Author(s)

Hongliang Shi, Nicholas G. Dagalakis

This paper presents the design of a disposable biosimulant human tissue artifact system for robot safety testing. It is used to show a clear sign of the severe

Development of Standard Test Methods for Evaluation of ROV/AUV Performance for Emergency Response Applications

October 21, 2015

Author(s)

Adam S. Jacoff, Kamel Saidi, Robert Von Loewenfeldt, Yukio Koibuchi

The present paper discusses the NIST and DHS efforts to develop standard test methods for aquatic response robots. Different ROVs and AUVs were used to evaluate

A Cybersecurity Testbed for Industrial Control Systems

October 9, 2014

Author(s)

Richard Candell, Keith A. Stouffer, Dhananjay Anand

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is developing a cybersecurity testbed for industrial control systems (ICS). The goal of this testbed

Tools and Instruments

Manufacturing Robotics Testbed

The NIST manufacturing robotics test bed consists of several labs located in three buildings on the main NIST campus. Combined, these serve as a resource for

Robotics Test Facility

Located on the NIST Gaithersburg campus, the Robotics Test Facility – also known as Building 207 – is a laboratory for developing standard test methods of