USN Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot (SAFFiR)

Grey Havoc

ACCESS: USAP
Senior Member
Joined
9 October 2009
Messages
19,711
Reaction score
10,144
From Wired.com:

Navy’s Newest Robot Is a Mechanized Firefighter

By Katie Drummond March 8, 2012 | 12:56 pm | Categories: robots

firefight.jpg

Meet SAFFiR: Embedded sensors allow the 'bot to see through smoke, and sophisticated upper-body agility let the 'bot throw fire-squelching grenades. Illo: Naval Research Laboratory


Add another eerily lifelike robot to the military’s rapidly expanding android army. This one is, of all things, a mechanical firefighter. And not only can it climb ladders like its flesh-and-blood counterparts, it’s designed to interact with human handlers in a kind of human/robot bucket brigade.

Developed by the Naval Research Laboratory, the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot — or “SAFFiR”; get it? — will help extinguish fires onboard ships and subs. Those watercraft are particularly at risk from fires, because their cramped quarters can make flames tough to extinguish without posing significant human risk.

SAFFiR, expected to be field tested in 18 months, might mitigate that danger. And it shows off some of the the latest and most impressive breakthroughs in Pentagon-funded robotics technology.

For one thing, SAFFiR is designed to use its mechanized legs and arms like a human would, thanks to sophisticated sensors that provide ongoing environmental feedback and titanium springs that act as “joints” to enable fluid movements. Until recently, most military robots designed for cramped spaces like the quarters of warships or submarines needed to be small. Wheels and treads enabled movement, not pseudo-limbs. (Well, mostly.)


Now, much like a person, SAFFiR will scurry through cramped hallways and climb up and down the endless maze of ladders aboard a ship. The robot will have enough hand coordination to tote fire hoses and throw extinguisher grenades. That kind of precise coordination is also a relatively new accomplishment for military ‘bots. Just last week, Darpa-funded researchers unveiled the first ‘bot capable of performing complex tasks, like unlocking a door, with its own “two hands.”

All that’s crazy enough. But SAFFiR’s interaction with human handlers is where things get really interesting. The robot has an interface that’ll allow it to understand and respond to human gestures. The goal, according to a statement from the lab, is for robot and human “to work cohesively as a team.” A similar concept is informing the development of other military robots, namely AlphaDog, which’ll also boast visual sensors and an interface that can comprehend human commands.

Even without gestures, the ‘bot will be able to adeptly follow its master, because SAFFiR is programmed to track a person’s line of sight. So if SAFFiR’s captain notices flames over on the left, the ‘bot’ll see ‘em at the same time, even in smoky air: SAFFiR’s visual sensors incorporate infrared cameras so that the robot can see through poor conditions.

Once fully realized, SAFFiR might be as capable as a human firefighter, without the risk of lost life. But here’s hoping SAFFiR is also able to put out fires quickly: The ‘bot’s batteries run out after a mere 30 minutes, regardless of whether the flames have been contained.


LINK
 
Does it only handle firefighting equipment, or will it also be able to use a phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range? ::)

Regards & all, and enjoy the weekend,

Thomas L. Nielsen
Luxembourg
 
This might be appropriate: http://www.youtube.com/v/oFy9_4fucos?version=3&feature=player_detailpage

;)

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
 
A bit more info, via gCaptain:

Fighting Shipboard Fires with Artificial Intelligence? U.S. Navy Tests the Possibilities
by GCAPTAIN STAFF on MARCH 9, 2012

Shipboard fires present crews with unique challenges that are often limited to the capabilities of the human body. With that in mind, scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have been working to develop an autonomous human-like robot that could help fight fires on board ships.

The firefighting robot, called the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot (SAFFiR), is being designed to move autonomously throughout a ship, interact with people, and fight fires, handling many of the dangerous firefighting tasks that are normally performed by humans.

The robot will be designed with advanced multi-modal sensor technology for navigation that will allow it to maneuver well in the narrow passages and ladderways unique to ships and a sensor suite that includes a camera, gas sensor, and stereo IR camera for better visibility in smoky or low light conditions. And, like a sure-footed sailor, the robot will be capable of walking in all directions, balancing in heavy sea conditions, and traversing obstacles.

In addition to its maneuverability, the robots upper body will be capable of manipulating fire suppressors and throwing PEAT grenades for up to 30 minutes of firefighting through stored battery power.

Another key element of the SAFFiR development is to allow damage control personnel and the robot to work cohesively with human team members. The Navy Center for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence (NCARAI) is developing the algorithms that will allow autonomous mobility and decision making by the robot. To enable natural interaction with a human team leader, the robot will have multimodal interfaces that will enable the robot to track the focus of attention of the human team leader, as well as to allow it to understand and respond to gestures, such as pointing and hand signals. Where appropriate, natural language may also be incorporated, as well as other modes of communication and supervision.

Researchers from Virginia Tech and University of Pennsylvania are also working with NRL on the project. They plan to test the firefighting robot in a realistic firefighting environment onboard the ex-USS Shadwell, the world’s unique fire test ship based Mobile Alabama, in late September 2013.

Right now the SAFFiR is being developed solely for use on Navy and Marine Corps combatants so don’t expect to see one of these guys show up on your vessel any time soon. But hey, we can dream.

CHARLI-L1_12-12r_3168x4752.jpg

Virginia Tech and the University of Pennsylvania are working with NRL on the firefighting robot project. NRL's firefighting robot will be a follow-on version to the existing Virginia Tech CHARLI-L1 robot, pictured here. Photo: Virginia Tech

LINK
 
Why go through the extra effort to make it human-shaped? It seems like this thing will already have challenges enough without having the extra problems of staying balanced.
 
The long legs mean it can negotiate steep stairs and doors with a high threshold. That makes it much more useful than a wheeled design would be.
 
True, ship and submarine interiors have been designed for humans to negotiate, so the human anatomy is not a bad place to look for inspiration when designing something which is to move efficiently in the same environment. It's not hard to see how a wheeled or tracked robot would be at a severe mobility disadvantage (think ladders and turning around in narrow corridors), I guess such a system doesn't offer worthwhile advantages unless it is humanoid straight away.
 
I was thinking more in terms of multi-legged rather than wheeled.
 
Madurai said:
I was thinking more in terms of multi-legged rather than wheeled.

Giant firefighting robot spiders.....we're so screwed!

Regards & all,

Thomas L. Nielsen
Luxembourg
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4OtS534oYU&feature=player_embedded
http://www.computerworld.com/article/3031657/robotics/navy-calls-on-researchers-to-create-firefighting-humanoid-robot.html​
 
From 2015, a couple of short videos (couldn't embed one of them):


View: https://youtu.be/ee1Xu_3_onY

A Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot for the U.S. Navy​

Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory, along with researchers from Virginia Tech and University of Pennsylvania, have been developing a humanoid, firefighting robot called the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot (SAFFiR). The robot is being designed to move autonomously throughout the ship, interact with people, and fight fires - handling many of the dangerous firefighting tasks that are normally performed by humans. The robot should be able to maneuver well in the narrow passages and ladderways that are unique to a ship and challenging for older, simpler robots to navigate. It is being designed with enhanced multi-modal sensor technology for advanced navigation and a sensor suite that includes a camera, gas sensor, and stereo IR camera to enable it to see through smoke. Its upper body will be capable of manipulating fire suppressors and throwing propelled extinguishing agent technology (PEAT) grenades. Battery-powered, the robot holds enough energy for 30 minutes of firefighting. It will also be capable of walking in all directions, balancing in sea conditions, and traversing obstacles.
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom