Tiny robot fire-fighter tank can take the heat

4 hrs.

John Roach

When the next chemical plant explodes in a ball of flames, don?t be surprised if firefighters send in a mini robotic tank to douse the inferno with fire-retardant foam.

The?Thermite?tank?from Maine-based Howe and Howe Technologies?is the latest entry of robotics to danger zones where we humans would prefer not to work ? from shutting down tsunami-crippled nuclear reactors to rescuing trapped miners.?

The company builds modular robotic systems, beginning with a base platform that can traverse rough terrain and climb stairs to get itself into position. Thermite is attached to the base and comes equipped with a multidirectional nozzle that can deliver 600 gallons of firefighting fluid a minute.

The system is billed as the ?world?s first firefighting robot.? For better or worse, this robot is remotely controlled by a human within a quarter mile from the burning action. In other words, it won?t fight fires autonomously. The video below shows it in action.

Thermite retails for $96,000. The company also sells a fire truck called the Bulldog, which houses the pumping system for Thermite. A Bulldog, Thermite and maybe one other robot such as the Eagle Eye, a robotic arm attached to the base state, would run about $400,000, Wired?s Danger Room estimates.?

That?s half the price of a new fire truck. With pricing like that, firefighters of the near future really could be getting help from robots, a nice sign that humans and robots really can get along.

?? via Wired, IEEE?

John Roach is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/tiny-robot-fire-fighter-tank-can-take-heat-6280930

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