A Long-Endurance Rescue Robot Powered by a Hydrogen Fuel Cell with a Lung-Inspired Air-Management System

This concept paper proposes a long-endurance rescue robot powered by a hydrogen proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) fuel cell, coupled with an air intake and conditioning system inspired by the human lung. Hydrogen stored on board is the fuel; oxygen drawn from ambient air is the oxidizer at the cathode; the products are electricity, water, and heat. The "artificial lung" is an air-management unit: it draws in air, filters it, partially separates oxygen, and regulates flow and pressure toward the cathode. The robot is refuelled with hydrogen whenever its tank runs down, and in return offers far longer operating time per unit weight than battery-powered robots — an endurance gap that is decisive in rescue work, where missions run for many hours and returning to a charging station is not an option. The paper sets out a ten-component architecture, its operating principles, an honest account of the technical challenges, and a staged development roadmap, and seeks expert assessment and research collaboration.