South Korea's little firefighting robots (w/ Video)

October 8, 2009 by Lin Edwards weblog
Hoya Robot

Enlarge

Hoya Robot

(PhysOrg.com) -- Two South Korean firms have developed mini firefighting robots to help human firefighters safely plan their course of action before entering a blazing building.

Hoya has developed a Firefighters Assistance Robot (dubbed a Fire Spy Robot), a remote-controlled device that can reconnoiter a burning structure, transmitting images, sounds, and data on temperature, smoke, and gas to firefighters over 50 yards away. This kind of information is vital for firefighters to ensure their safety before entering a burning structure.

The little two-wheeled robot can roam through the blaze spraying water from a fire hose and looking for trapped people. Its onboard light and camera helps firefighters pin-point people before they enter the building themselves. The robot also gives them enough information to decide on the safe routes, and quickly develop a rescue plan.

This video is not supported by your browser at this time.

More information:
• http://www.hoyarobot.com/
• http://www.drbfatec.com/

© 2009 PhysOrg.com

view popular send feedback to editors
4.5 /5 (8 votes)  

Filter


Move the slider to adjust rank threshold, so that you can hide some of the comments.


Display comments: newest first

COCO
Oct 14, 2009

Rank: not rated yet
can't for the life of me figure out the benefit - the little bastards are too small to carry retardants - too little to haul a body bigger than a rat - minuturization has its place but not here - try again guys.
wildcatherder
Oct 18, 2009

Rank: not rated yet
It is a firefighter-assisting robot, not a "Firefighting Robot". I don't think firemen are going to be sitting outside while a tiny robot tries to map an unfamiliar building.

I was also initially confused about why the robot in the last video was just watching the chair burn.

It would be a handy tool for arson, though.
Rank 4.5 /5 (8 votes)
Tags

robot, firefighter, south korea
Related Stories
more news
Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • Empirical data regarding shower heads and water
    created3 hours ago
  • feed hold button on CNC lathe
    created23 hours ago
  • RFAC in Fortran
    createdFeb 09, 2012
  • dynamics 2/32
    createdFeb 08, 2012
  • dynamics
    createdFeb 08, 2012
  • Vibration Absorbtion Problem
    createdFeb 08, 2012
  • More from Physics Forums - General Engineering

More news stories

Japan scientist makes 'Avatar' robot

A Japanese-developed robot that mimics the movements of its human controller is bringing the Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar" one step closer to reality.

Electronics / Robotics

created 26 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Apple to debut 'iPad 3' in March: report

Apple will unveil a new version of its market-ruling iPad table computer in March, according to a report in Dow Jones-owned technology blog All Things D.

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created 18 hours ago | popularity 2 / 5 (19) | comments 0

New Kindle Touch is an impressive e-reader

When it comes to reading digital books, tablets are all the rage. But there's a lot to like about simple e-readers, which over the past year have become both a lot cheaper and a lot less clunky.

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created 18 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

Google to make home entertainment system: report

Google will mirror Apple's winning hardware-software formula with an Android-powered entertainment system that wirelessly streams content through homes, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created 12 hours ago | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Barriers fall between TV, Internet

You say TV, I say Internet. Toe-mate-o, toe-mah-to.

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created 14 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Humans may have helped the decline of African rainforests 3000 years ago

(PhysOrg.com) -- Large areas of rainforests in Central Africa mysteriously disappeared over three thousand years ago, to be replaced by savannas. The prevailing theory has been that the cause was a change ...

Fighting crimes against biodiversity: How to catch a killer weed

Invasive species which have the potential to destroy biodiversity and influence global change could be tracked and controlled in the same way as wanted criminals, according to new research from Queen Mary, University of London.

Metastatic breast cancer hitches a free ride from the immune system

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most lethal form of breast cancer . It spreads easily through the lymphatic and blood vessels, forming metastasis which can lead to multi-organ failure. New research published in BioMed ...

A novel method for simultaneously measuring blood pressure and arterial stiffness

Arterial stiffness due to is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease but is very difficult to measure. It also can influence blood pressure readings since these rely on the time taken for arteries to return to normal ...

India's global pharmacy role threatened by EU pact

(AP) -- Efforts by India and the European Union to strengthen trade are threatening India's ability to deliver lifesaving medicines to the world's poorest, analysts say as the two sides push through protracted ...

US video game sales fall 34 percent in January

(AP) -- U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories fell 34 percent in January from a year earlier to $751 million due to the lack of new game titles, according to market researcher NPD Group.