Flying Dragon To Fly To Rescue When Fire Rages To Uncontrollable Limits

“Flying Dragon” To Fly To Rescue When Fire Rages To Uncontrollable Limits Thanks To Robotics Monarchs

In order to douse fire from a safe distance and more efficiently while not risking humans in rescue,  robot developers have achieved a milestone in the robotics field.

Flying dragon may appear like a demon but actually an angel, the flying machine is all programmed to uproot blazes and to control the spread and to save lives and property.

Japs Did It !!!

The Dragon Firefighter is a revolutionary firefighting robot whose blueprint was published in Frontiers in Robotics and AI. Furthermore, since it was released as Open Science, roboticists everywhere are welcome to utilize the blueprints to construct their own Dragon Firefighters, which will assist all.

Dr. Yuichi Ambe, who is assistant professor at Osaka University, articulates, “”We here present a prototype of a four-meter-long, remotely controllable flying firehose robot, engineered to safely and efficiently extinguish fires in buildings by directly approaching the fire sources.”

In 2016, a group of researchers from Tohoku University’s laboratory led by Prof. Satoshi Tadokoro started developing comparable aerial vehicles. Since then, eleven researchers and students burned midnight oil to accomplish it wholly.

To better understand their needs, they communicated with Japanese firemen both before and during development.

Propulsion by jets:

Eight programmable water jets that shoot from the Dragon Firefighter’s head and center propel it upward, two meters above the ground. With the help of a control device mounted on a wheeled cart behind, the firehose may be bent and directed at flames. A 14,000-liter water reservoir on a fire truck is connected to the cart via a supply tube.

The nozzles can exert pressure of up to one megapascal while releasing 6.6 liters of water per second. A traditional and thermal imaging camera at the tip of the hose aids in locating the fire.

Dragon’s Debut:

At the opening ceremony of the World Robot Summit 2020 (WRS2020), which took place in September 2021 in Fukushima, the Dragon Firefighter underwent its baptism of fire.

There, at a distance of four meters, it effectively extinguished the ceremonial flame, which was made up of fireballs ignited by another robot, between 49 and 51 minutes.

Current Paper Explains Everything:

The current paper not only describes the design of the Dragon, but also talks about the lessons that were learned from its initial display of its capabilities and outlines the subsequent enhancements that have been made.

Now, we have Dr. Yu Yamauchi, who works as assistant professor at Akita Prefectural University and is another corresponding author, confirms, “Since the demonstration at WRS2020, we have continued to work on improving our Dragon and have learned many new things.”

“For example, we found that the original passive dampening mechanism which counters oscillations of the Dragon Firefighter’s body was impractical: it took too long to prepare for flight. We also found that heat from fires can cause detrimental plastic deformation in outdoor applications of the corrugated tube that holds the water hose and electric cables.”

The Study Contains Advancements:

Better waterproofing, a nozzle unit that can handle a larger range of net forces, and an enhanced system for diverting water flow are some of the other enhancements covered in the study. However, more advancements are planned.

In ten years, prepared to take to the skies.

Mr Ambre expresses hope, “We estimate that it will take approximately 10 more years to deploy our robot in real-world firefighting scenarios.” He further adds, “The primary challenge will be to extend its reach to beyond 10 meters. Developing effective firefighting tactics tailored to this robot’s unique capabilities will likewise be a critical aspect of further development.”