Called the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot (SAFFiR), the Navy’s new bi-pedal bot has successfully completed its first round of tests. In its recent demo SAFFiR verified that it can walk across an uneven surface, identify overheating equipment and use a hose to extinguish a small fire.
“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 Dr. Thomas McKenna, ONR program manager. “The long-term goal is to keep Sailors from the danger of direct exposure to fire.”
Standing 178cm tall (5’10”) and weighing in at 64.8kg (143lbs), SAFFiR was built to work within the often-cramped confines of Navy ships. With a super-human range of motion, SAFFiR can contort its body to fight fires in ways that would break your run of the mill sailor. To keep the machine upright SAFFiR has a unique “whole-body momentum” control system that reports and optimizes the location of all the robot’s joints, making sure SAFFiR can precisely control its center of mass.
So, what’s stopping SAFFiR from going into active duty today?
While researchers have worked out a number of SAFFiR’s kinks, the robot still requires a tether to operate properly. In the coming years SAFFiR’s designers will update the robots packaging, increase its intelligence and remove its tether to make the robot completely autonomous. Engineers are also looking to speed up the Navy’s new metallic-seaman and extend its battery life.
What’s most amazing, though, is that in no more than a decade ships across the US fleet may have dozens of SAFFiR-based ‘bots on full alert, freeing sailors of certain routine duties and helping to protect them in dangerous situations.
Source: ONR