Building robots to rush into fires instead of firefighters

A group of students and alumni from Texas (USA) are developing a FireBot robot - which can operate in fires to collect data before firefighters directly approach the scene.

FireBot team works with fire departments in Texas (USA) - Photo: CNN

According to CNN on November 9, FireBot was developed by Paradigm Robotics, a startup founded by Siddhart Thakur, a former student at the University of Texas. The idea for the robot came from a fire 13 years ago that killed five firefighters, including two of Thakur's acquaintances.

After many improvements, FireBot now weighs 136kg and is 1.2m long, made from stainless steel, tungsten and titanium. The robot can withstand temperatures up to 650°C for 15 minutes, is resistant to corrosive chemicals and can withstand strong impacts, even when the roof of the building collapses.

FireBot is equipped with a thermal camera and gas sensor, transmitting video and thermal data directly from inside the fire area. Compared to large firefighting robots such as Thermite RS3 (USA) or Colossus (France), FireBot is more compact, focusing on information gathering instead of fire extinguishing.

Paradigm Robotics has been working with fire departments in Texas to perfect the design. The robot is especially useful in fires involving hazardous materials, helping outside forces quickly grasp the real-time situation.

The company is continuing testing, aiming to equip FireBot on every fire truck in the US, contributing to ensuring greater safety for firefighters while on duty.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/che-tao-robot-xong-vao-dam-chay-thay-linh-cuu-hoa-20251112103041288.htm