How robotic firefighting offers new hope for historic landmarks?

The Paris fire brigade faces fires of all sizes, but the vast fire engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral on April 15, 2019, required a fight of epic proportions. The cathedral is 856 years old and was built in such an architectural style that it was nearly impossible to contain the fire. The cathedral is hugely popular with tourists and is a shrine to Christians.

It took all the tactical and physical strength, both human and technology existing to the fire brigade to protect this French cultural heritage symbol. After firefighters arrived on the fire scene, the giant cathedral spire began to show signs of the building collapse. For the entire cultural community, the cathedral's destruction would mean the loss of a monument of religion and culture. For the Paris fire brigade, it would mean danger to the lives of more than 400 firefighters already at the epicenter of the fire.

It was time to get the robot involved

A remote-controlled firefighting robot Colossus was designed and built by Shark Robotics. It can release water to a distance of up to 250 meters. Colossus made its way into the most dangerous parts of the cathedral, putting out fires and clearing debris where firefighters could get hurt with a heat- and water-resistant chassis and robust all-terrain treads. By the following day, the fire was completely extinguished. The giant spire of the cathedral had collapsed along with the roof and the inner scaffolding; all the people were in mourning. However, not a single person was hurt, and Colossus became a world-famous robot. So the question arises: why use robots in firefighting? What can robots do for firefighters that they couldn't do themselves? The answer is simple: their main advantage is avoiding injury and death among firefighters and casualties. In addition, the robot can easily carry heavy equipment, such as feeding heavy fire hoses and moving around in vital areas. Robots' task is to free firefighters from serious work that distracts them and takes time away from the study of fighting a fire quickly and efficiently.

What options in firefighting robots are most important

Colossus is under the remote control of a firefighter trained to operate the machine at all times. The developer offers three control stations that can connect to the robot depending on the situation. A standard station can transmit a signal to the robot up to 300 meters away. You can also choose an option for a tablet or phone running on an iOS or Android system. The last option is a vehicle-mounted control station. Many options were specifically designed to allow Colossus to be controlled by a human operator at a distance because the remote control is the best way to minimize danger and maximize efficiency. Colossus acts as a support station for the firefighting team, transmitting information from its sensors to the pilot in command and other firefighters in real-time. It's a vital option in the kind of dangerous conditions firefighters face. And all the information should be in one place, not in several sensors that the crew has to carry to the fire epicenter. Firefighters also need to know the temperature, and Colossus is equipped with a special thermometer. But most interesting, the robot can be used to detect dangerous chemicals in the air other than smoke. Colossus also has separate sensors to detect CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear). These substances can be emplaced at the facility in a terrorist threat environment. Also, additional sensors can be added to the standard model of the robot, depending on the purpose of its use. For example, cameras that work in the daytime or at night, with the functions of object recognition, when it is difficult to understand what is in front of you because of smoke.

What are the advantages of Colossus

Colossus was built on a chassis made of aluminum aviation steel, wholly waterproof and heat-resistant. Collaborating with members of the Paris fire brigade on the design of the robot helped create something that could withstand such extreme conditions with minimal maintenance costs. It will allow firefighters to count on it amid a rescue operation. Colossus is capable of 10 to 12 hours of autonomous operation without recharge. The main advantage of Colossus is that its use reduces the risk of injury to people. Unlike humans, Colossus can withstand the high temperatures of a burning building for up to 8 hours on average. At the same time, it can also take on some of the less strategic tasks of extinguishing fires. For example, the Colossus can transport the wounded to safety or transport up to 1 ton of equipment to the fire scene. Including the heaviest hoses; otherwise, they would have to be lifted by three or four firefighters.

The Colossus robot cost about 130,000 to 200,000 euros (about $150,000 to $225,000) in 2019. The price variation is significant because the robot design is modular and has optional features.

People make decisions, and robots do the hard work

Colossus can climb stairs up to 30 centimeters high, move through water, and move on slopes with an angle of up to 45 degrees. In the Notre Dame fire, Colossus was not directed to the roof because its chassis could have caused damage to very fragile architectural structures. Using a robot in a fire department is because humans manage decision-making. Robots handle extinguishing, moving, lifting, transporting, and other more dangerous tasks that humans would risk. Such large physical jobs sometimes require Colossus to be reconfigured, so the developers created the robot as modular as possible. Whether firefighters need to move a heavy hose or equipment or remove a casualty from the epicenter of a fire, Colossus will be able to take on the desired configuration in less than 30 seconds and without even using any tools such as screwdrivers or wrenches. Colossus is in its third year in service with the Paris Fire Brigade. Still, before that, it had to spend several years perfecting the technology to make the robot as helpful as possible in real firefighting situations. Training firefighters to operate Colossus was much easier than building a robot to work with the brigade. Most employees took just half a day to learn how to use the machine properly.

TrackReitar from LeoTronics

In the past few years, many industries have seen an increase in such ground-based robotics demand. Other European developers are also working on the development of versatile mobile robots. The Slovak company LeoTronics successfully solves the problems of saving human lives and alleviating hard and dangerous work. The robotic platform TrackReitar UGV developed based on artificial intelligence can work in the most challenging conditions. The TrackReitar platform provides faster, more cost-effective, and flexible solutions for the commercial and government sectors. Civil engineering, security, and especially fire and rescue services are some applications. With the TrackReitar FFL firefighting robot created by the LeoTronics team, robotic firefighting will seem like a routine thing. The robot features a state-of-the-art, high-performance, radio-controlled water/foam monitor. The maximum flow rate is 4,800 l/min. TrackReitar FFL was successfully field-tested in August 2021. Military, manufacturing companies, security companies - all see the benefits of these robots as they are the perfect helpers in their work's dangerous and challenging conditions.