The Navy continues to develop new technologies that could potentially be used in the near future aboard U.S. ships and other scenarios. Among these is a firefighting robot that can go into dangerous situations instead of human sailors. The robot was showcased at the Naval Science and Technology Future Force Expo in Washington, D.C.

The firefighting robot, known as SAFFiR for Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot, is a bipedal automated machine designed to fight fires in the place of humans, according to a U.S. Navy blog post. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) and Virginia Tech are working together on SAFFiR.

The robot is designed to do tasks like humans, such as opening doors and using fire hoses, and has sensors, including infrared stereovision and a rotating laser for light detection and ranging (LIDAR) to move through heavy smoke.

“The long-term goal is to keep sailors from the danger of direct exposure to fire,” said Dr. Thomas McKenna, ONR program manager for human-robot interaction and cognitive neuroscience.

Though SAFFiR is mostly autonomous, humans will still oversee it, and they will jump in when needed. Researchers have also been considering using other sensors and programming so the robot knows to detect leaks and other abnormalities in the design of a ship. However, it would still collaborate with humans.

“We’re working toward human-robot teams,” McKenna said. “It’s what we call the hybrid force: humans and robots working together.”

Defense One reports the robot was tested back in November aboard the ex-USS Shadwell, a ship ONR uses for testing.

“The objectives for the demo on the Shadwell were to show that the robot could walk over a very uneven floor, that it could orient itself to the fire, that it could autonomously handle the hose, operate the hose, aim the hose and suppress the fire, which it succeeded in,” McKenna told Defense One.

However, SAFFiR is still in development. During testing, the robot donned rain gear to protect it from the water. By the time it enters service, McKenna explains, it will be ready for military use.

Watch SAFFiR’s trial below.

Related