2023-12-22 08:14:01
In mythology, the dragon breathes fire. But researchers are now proposing to divert the legend with a dragon-shaped robot capable of extinguishing the flames.
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[EN VIDÉO] 20 years of fires around the world summarized in 30 seconds This is what the Earth looks like in the throes of flames. This is not a scenario…
A dragon who instead of breathing fire, extinguishes the flames with jets of water. This is what researchers from the laboratory of Professor Satoshi Tadokoro at Tohoku University (Japan) imagined. And this funny flying dragon robot might soon help firefighters around the world put out the most difficult to access fires. The plans of Dragon Firefighter are published in the journal Frontiers in Robotics and AI and accessible to all roboticists on the planet who would like to exploit them.
A dragon robot to support the work of firefighters
Before arriving at this result, the researchers worked for several years with firefighters to better understand their needs. Result: a dragon four meters long, propelled upwards thanks to jets of water which spring from its body and its head. With the possibility of directing the jets towards the flames. And project 6.6 liters of water per second with a pressure of up to one megapascal. An onboard camera allows you to position the dragon. Everything is controlled remotely and connected to a 14,000 liter water tank.
Since its first public demonstration in 2020, the Dragon Firefighter has been improved. It has become more waterproof, the problem of plastic deformation when heated has been solved, the water flow is better channeled and the dragon robot needs less time to prepare for flight. Other developments are underway.
A little more patience before putting out fires using the dragon robot
And researchers estimate it will take regarding 10 more years to deploy their dragon robot in real-world firefighting scenarios. The main challenge remains to extend its range beyond 10 meters. But already, firefighters and scientists are working to develop firefighting tactics tailored to this robot’s unique capabilities.
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