The ultimate Navy Seal may end up being a humanoid robot that can
carry heavy equipment, interact with officers and head straight into a
face-melting fire without hesitation.
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The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot, SAFFiR for short, has been in the works
for several years as
a safety tool for Navy ships. Recently the advanced bot was brought out
for a collaborative demonstration with researchers from Virginia Tech
and the University of Pennsylvania,
according to the lab.
I love a good robotic display, and it looks like SAFFiR
delivered. The bot is designed to learn a ship’s layout, move around
autonomously below deck and stay upright even when a vessel is pitching
and rolling. Built-in sensors allow it to see through smoke.
Students from the university teams demonstrated complex
algorithms that got the robot walking over both manmade and natural
terrain, the lab said in a press release. The teams worked on tech to
steer the robot to an open flame while avoiding obstacles. They also
demoed an artificial muscle that would help it lift equipment, walk with
a fire hose and activate a nozzle.
Meanwhile, Navy researchers developed a lightweight resin that
can be molded to any shape and resist temperatures up to 500 degrees
Celsius (932 degrees F). Later this year the robotic teams plan to do
trials aboard a full-scale fire test ship in Mobile, Ala.
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A wild blaze in Houston earlier this week brought us
a narrow escape
(video) and a reminder of how fast fire can spread. The Navy is working
on making SAFFiR an agile robot, but it’s going to be hard to beat that
death-defying construction worker on timing.
Photo: Virginia Tech robotics research student Mike Hopkins
nudges the Navy’s firefighting robot while it stands on a simulated ship
platform. Credit: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory/Jamie Hartman.
