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ARLINGTON, Virginia — Fires on Navy vessels could soon be tackled by robots.
The Office of Naval Research recently unveiled its robot prototype, called SAFFiR, short for Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot. In tests on the decommissioned USS Shadwell, the robot put out a small fire with a hose and completed other safety tasks.
“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,” ONR researcher Thomas McKenna said in a statement. “The long-term goal is to keep sailors from the danger of direct exposure to fire.”
The Navy is working toward creating hybrid teams made of humans and robots, according to McKenna. He said the sailors could work remotely during dangerous events while guiding the robots.
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. The long-term goal is to keep sailors from the danger of direct exposure to fire.
–ONR researcher Thomas McKenna
SAFFiR is equipped with sensors that let it “see through dense smoke” and can perform autonomous tasks such as handling hoses, the ONR reported. However, the prototype robot requires a human operator.
The robot, which is 5-feet-10-inches tall and weighs 143 pounds, has a “super-human range of motion to maneuver in complex spaces,” according to the ONR. The robot has been in development for about five years, but researcher said they hope to add more features to make it useful in other situations.
“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.”
SAFFiR was introduced at the Naval Future Force Science & Technology EXPO on Feb. 4.
