Firefighting Robot Capable of Approaching the Heart of the Fire

The research division of the U.S. Navy has successfully tested a robot that can act like a firefighter during a blaze, capable of approaching the center of the fire and extinguishing it despite heavy smoke and extreme heat. This robot, named SAAFiR, can walk on two legs and hold a water hose while moving towards the fire. According to the website 'Physics.org', this robot was designed, built, and gradually perfected by a research team from Virginia Tech. SAAFiR stands between 1.5 to 3 meters tall and weighs about 63 kilograms. It can navigate uneven and rough surfaces, has a locator, and can find the fire's source using a thermometer. A laser locator is also attached to its head to indicate its location. Fires on ships are very sensitive, and if not controlled quickly, they can cause irreparable damage. If a fire spreads on a ship, it can quickly reach other areas and cause serious damage. This is why the robot was created to quickly approach the center of the fire and extinguish it. Thomas McKenna from the U.S. Navy Research Center states, 'We aimed to create a team of human-robot collaboration and successfully executed this project.' The SAAFiR robot is also equipped with drones that can easily fly through thick smoke in dark corridors and relay the location of the burning area. SAAFiR is only covered with a fire-resistant coating to protect its vital connections from high heat or scattered fiery particles. The development program for this robot began five years ago. A brief introduction—about five minutes—of this robot and its sensor functions can be viewed in a video released by the U.S. Navy Research Center on their YouTube channel.