New firefighting robots are put into testing

Researchers at Italy's IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia have succeeded in testing a new version and improving the WALK-MAN humanoid robot, designed to assist firefighters.

WALK-MAN has been developed through a European-funded project, including the University of Pisa in Italy, the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, and Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. The project started in 2013, with the original version of the robot completed in 2015.

Remote controlled by a controller wearing a sensor, WALK-MAN will move into a building, find the fire, extinguish it with a fire extinguisher. The robot head incorporates a laser scanner and a 3D microphone and video cameras directly to the operator.

Thirty-two motors and control panels are used to control the robot body, along with four load cells and moments located in the hands and feet, and two accelerometers that allow it to balance when moving. as well as on duty.

The new version of WALK-MAN has a height of 1.85m, and weighs 102kg, 31kg lighter than the original robot version. Most light parts are located in the upper body of the robot, made of magnesium alloy and composite material.

Because it's lighter, it can move legs faster. This allows it to react faster to maintain center balance, and not fall over uneven terrain. And because it is more compact, it easily passes through narrow paths.

It can operate for about two hours with one battery charge.

Another improvement is the hand, the artificial fingers are more like human hands - this means it can capture better. In addition, thanks to a new version of the light actuator used in hand, it can now lift 10kg for each arm, more than the original 7kg.

In the recent test, the robot succeeded in opening a door to enter the room, locating and closing a valve to prevent false gas leakage, removing debris blocking its path, then finding Fire and use a fire extinguisher.

Video about fire fighting robots:

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