UCS1001 MEC Assignment #2 Firefighting Robots: - Summary draft 1

Draft 1

Every year, more than 350,000 American homes get caught on fire and 10,000 daily worldwide wildfires occur due to climate change. From this, 3000 Americans die from fires, which includes an average of 80 firefighters (Scientific American. 2019). With technological advancement, firefighters are now equipped with robots to aid in their work. The benefits of using the robots are, “being able to enter burning buildings too hot for human survival, penetrate smoke too toxic for human lungs and they are often faster stronger and more agile than the firefighters they work with”. The use of robots can be seen in The Los Angeles City Fire Department, they are using a robot called Robot System 3 (RS3) to aid in fighting a fire. The US forest service is also another sector which is seen using robots and drones to fight forest wildfires. Most machines currently in use are remote-controlled, but scientists are currently developing “intelligent" firefighting robots that can make decisions autonomously. The main challenge these robots face is the “institutional reluctance to invest in devices tailored to meet these varying niche needs”. However this may soon change, a group of university students have developed a cost-efficient robot by using widely available off-the-shelf materials.

Draft 2

With more than 350,000 American homes burning annually and climate change contributing to 10,000 active daily wildfires worldwide. Robots can offer some respite to firefighters entering blazing buildings or traversing steep mountains. Over 3000 Americans die from fires annually, which includes an average of 80 firefighters (Scientific American. 2019). With technological advancement, firefighters are now equipped with robots to aid their work. The benefits of using the robots are, “being able to enter burning buildings too hot for human survival, penetrate smoke too toxic for human lungs and they are often faster stronger and more agile than the firefighters they work with”. The use of robots can be seen in The Los Angeles City Fire Department, they are using a robot called Robot System 3 (RS3) to aid in fighting a fire. The US forest service is another sector that uses robots and drones to fight forest wildfires. Most machines currently in use are remote-controlled, but scientists are developing “intelligent" firefighting robots that can autonomously make decisions. However, some scientists are sceptical about the promises of these robotic firefighting technologies.

Draft 3

The article "Fire fighting robots go autonomous" by Jane Braxton Little.2021, discussed the capabilities of these particular robots and the benefits of these machines. With more than 350,000 American homes burning annually and climate change contributing to 10,000 active daily wildfires worldwide. Robots can offer some respite to firefighters entering blazing buildings or traversing steep mountains. Over 3000 Americans die from fires annually, which includes an average of 80 firefighters (Scientific American. 2019). With technological advancement, firefighters are now equipped with robots to aid their work. The Los Angeles City Fire Department can be seen using robots to aid them, one of the robots is the Robot System 3 (RS3). The $300,000 RS3 was funded by the American Firefighting Foundation, the unit is capable of blasting water 10 times the rate of a conventional fire hose, and has four cameras which have the ability to show where the water is being sprayed and thermal sensory capability that is able to detect victims. The LAFD assistant chief Wade White stated that " it has met some of these real-world mobility challenges and proved useful by dragging hose lines up steep hills and even pulling horses out of mud quagmires." This proves that these firefighting robots are vital to the future of firefighting and help lower the death rates of firefighters.

 

Draft 4

The article "Fire fighting robots go autonomous" by Braxton (2021), discussed the capabilities of these particular robots and the benefits of these machines. With more than 350,000 American homes burning annually and climate change contributing to 10,000 active daily wildfires worldwide. Robots can offer some respite to firefighters entering blazing buildings or traversing steep mountains. Over 3000 Americans die from fires annually, which includes an average of 80 firefighters (Scientific American. 2019). With technological advancement, firefighters are now equipped with robots to aid their work. The Los Angeles City Fire Department can be seen using robots to assist them, one of the robots is the Robot System 3 (RS3). The $300,000 RS3 was funded by the American Firefighting Foundation, the unit is capable of blasting water 10 times the rate of a conventional fire hose, and has four cameras which can show where the water is being sprayed and thermal sensory capability that can detect victims. The LAFD assistant chief Wade White stated that " it has met some of these real-world mobility challenges and proved useful by dragging hose lines up steep hills and even pulling horses out of mud quagmires." With firefighting robots, it would increase the efficiency of the firefighter, while putting them at a lower risk of injury or death.