Guiding itself around a damaged U.S. Navy ship to extinguish fires while at sea sounds like the ultimate usage test for a humanoid robot. However, the SAFFiR is more than up for the task. The SAFFiR is being designed by Virginia Tech’s RoMeLa laboratory in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania, with $2.6 million in funding from the U.S. Navy Research Laboratory.
The robot has been designed with an aluminum core that will help it handle the heavy load of firefighting equipment and the fire retardant suit it will have to carry. For those not familiar with SAFFiR, the robot has been planned to be able to wield fire extinguishers and hoses, throw PEAT (propelled extinguishing agent technology) grenades, interact with humans and find fires, even if the primary route is inaccessible.
The word going around is that it will come with an IR sensor to help it navigate through smoke and a battery pack that will allow for 30 minutes of use. SAFFiR’s biggest test will be in September 2013, when it will have to navigate a ‘realistic firefighting environment’ on the USS Shadwell. If the robot is able to pull that off, it may one day become standard equipment on naval vessels.
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