Shipboard Automated Firefighting Robot (S.A.F.F.i.R.)

Defense Media Activity - Navy Production Division
Feb. 10, 2015 | 2:16

The Office of Naval Research teamed with Virginia Tech to build the world's first bi-pedal fire fighting robot.

In both war and peacetime scenarios, fire in the shipboard environment is serious and frequently results in excessive damage and high repair costs because the fire is not detected or controlled adequately.

To help further improve future shipboard firefighting capability, scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory have formed an interdisciplinary team to develop a humanoid robot that could fight fires on the next generation of combatants. A humanoid-type robot was chosen because it was deemed best suited to operate within the confines of an environment that was designed for human mobility and offered opportunity for other potential war fighting applications within the Navy and Marine Corps.