Robot technologies are becoming increasingly useful in emergency situations.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has developed two prototypes to support firefighting efforts: the Water Cannon Robot and the Hose Extension Robot (see video). The pair – labelled the Firefighting Robot System – would be ideal in scenarios when human access is limited, such as fires on toxic chemical sites.
The robots are part of a five year project launched in 2014 by Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency. The demonstration took place at the National Research Institute of Fire and Disaster in Tokyo.