The Navy has unveiled a human-looking robot that fights fires on ships.
The bipedal Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot (SAFFiR), funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 143 pounds. Indeed, an ONR announcement referred to the machine as a "humanoid."
"We set out to build and demonstrate a humanoid capable of mobility aboard a ship, manipulating doors and fire hoses, and equipped with sensors to see and navigate through smoke," said Thomas McKenna, ONR program manager for human-robot interaction and cognitive neuroscience. "The long-term goal is to keep sailors from the danger of direct exposure to fire."
The robot walked across uneven floors, used thermal imaging to identify overheated equipment, and used a hose to extinguish a small fire in a series of experiments last November on the USS Shadwell, a decommissioned Navy vessel.
SAFFiR has sensors, including infrared stereovision and a rotating laser for light detection and ranging (LIDAR), to enable the humanoid to see through dense smoke. It can be programmed to autonomously wield fire hoses, but so far has worked under human control.
ONR sees other uses for SAFFiR. "We have taken a look at other kinds of sensors that you can put on these robots," McKenna said. "For instance, a bipedal robot could be configured to take shipboard measurements, scan for corrosion and leaks, and identify changes to the shape of the room from its original configuration. By taking on these time-consuming tasks, SAFFiR could free up sailors for jobs that more fully take advantage of their training and technical skillsets."
