This robot will help firefighters save lives in fires

Scientists from two Spanish universities have created and successfully tested a prototype of a small tracked robot loaded with sensors. Produced in collaboration with fire and rescue teams, this robot with autonomous capacity is designed to help firefighters have a precise view of a situation inside a building before intervening.

Drones have become essential for most emergency services and it is not only in the airsairs that they make it possible to observe a situation. There are also field robots. But these robots, like the Colossus used by the Marseille firefighters, are generally large machines. They keep the firefighter away from risk and make his actions more powerful and enduring. It is precisely with a view to protecting the soldiers of the feufeu that researchers from theUniversidad King Juan Carlos and of theAutonomous University of Madrid have recently created a autonomous land robots.

Small in size, it is designed to evolve in difficult indoor environments with its tracks. The robot is part of a more global project called “HelpResponder”. Its objective is to optimize the mission time of the intervention teams, as well as to reduce the rate ofaccidentsaccidents for stakeholders. The robot is there to draw up a precise picture of the situation in order to go to the essentials and not put itself in a situation of danger unnecessarily.

The prototype developed by the researchers does not extinguish the fire, it is rather an observation robot. With its sensorssensors, it is able to measure the temperature, humidity and air quality in an indoor environment, as well as its position and what is around it. It can thus locate hot and toxic sources, then map them practically in real time. This data is transmitted directly to the tablets of the firefighters via a applicationapplication dedicated.

Towards an interconnection of drones and fire robots

The robot has three working modes to deal with different scenarios. It can be controlled remotely manually by an operator. But this robot can just as well move autonomously to go through all the rooms of a home to provide a complete view of the situation and the environment. Finally, a last mode concentrates on the possibilities of evacuation. With it, following analyzing the environment, the robot’s data is analyzed to determine the shortest and safest path to evacuate a victim, for example. The advantage of the Spanish laboratory’s prototype is that it benefits from a modular design. In addition to its basic configuration, it is possible to add other sensors, such as thermal cameras. In addition, its components remain affordable, yet robust, with long battery life.

During the tests, the robot behaved perfectly during its various missions over a day. He showed his ability to evolve on difficult terrain without worry. To ensure the realismrealismthese tests, as well as the development of the robot and the scenarios, were carried out with the local fire services of the town of Alcorcón in Spain.

After these full-scale tests, other fire and rescue services might try this robot. According to those responsible for the project, the next steps will be to improve the autonomous navigation system. The simulator, which is used to test virtual scenarios, should be even more realistic according to the team. Finally, the researchers wish to interconnect the data delivered both by the dronesdronesthis type of robot and other sensors so that they can be simultaneously analyzed and make a better real-time situation map of the emergency.

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