ADVANCED US Navy Firefighting Robot for US Navy Naval Ships

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• published: 08 Jan 2016
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The US Navy unveils a new firefighting robot to deal with shipboard fires to keep US Navy personal safe. What is it? „ The Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot (SAFFiR) is a human-sized autonomous robot capable of finding and suppressing shipboard fires and working seamlessly with human firefighters. How does it work? „ Humanoid robot with 24 DOF „ Parallel actuated biped with linear actuators in a bio-inspired geometry „ Capable of omni-directional walking, balancing in sea state conditions and traversing obstacles „ Capable of manipulating fire suppressors (e.g. nozzles) „ Can use existing thermal shielding equipment „ Capable of autonomous navigation of shipboard environment with appropriate sensor suite What will it accomplish? „ Fire detection, environmental monitoring and situation awareness capabilities „ Can make use of broad range of fire suppression technologies „ Able to withstand higher heat for longer periods than human firefighters „ Works with human firefighters, responds to gestures and commands The objective of the shipboard autonomous firefighting robot (SAFFiR) is to develop human-centric, autonomous systems for fire safety and damage control. This will reduce ship’s vulnerability to damage and decrease the recovery time while significantly reducing life cycle costs, size and weight of future damage control systems. This technology will allow Navy to meet damage recovery mandates and reduce human risks. The SAFFiR is a key component of a candidate Innovative Naval Prototype program – Damage Control Technologies for the 21st Century (DC-21). DC-21 would provide shipboard situation awareness and damage control capabilities through the combination of: • Smart sensors in ship spaces to provide alerts based on detection of gases and incipient fires • Microflyers to provide rapid response and 3-D mapping of fire and damage • SAFFiR firefighting robots to aid humans in suppressing fire and provide situation awareness • Advanced fire suppression technology suitable for robotic deployment • Advanced human-robot interaction technologies, including gesture and natural language dialog, to enable teaming with human firefighters Research Challenges and Opportunities: • Humanoid locomotive mechanisms with multiple degrees of freedom, achieving dynamic stability in shipboard environment and ability to manipulate tools • Sensing and navigation of micro-flyers and humanoid in adverse environments with smoke, heat gradients, etc. • Hardening of robot components for heat resistance • Higher control level of robot for maneuvering and supervisory control with human firefighters • Suppression techniques tailored for robotic systems Point of Contact Dr. Tom McKenna tom.mckenna@navy.mil The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest, most capable navy in the world,[7][8][9] with the highest combined battle fleet tonnage.[10][11] The U.S. Navy has the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with ten in service, two in the reserve fleet,[12] and three new class carriers under construction.[13] The service has 328,186 personnel on active duty and 110,882 in the Navy Reserve. It has 272 deployable combat vessels and more than 3,700 aircraft in active service as of September 2015.[3] The U.S. Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which was established during the American Revolutionary War and was essentially disbanded as a separate entity shortly thereafter. It played a major role in the American Civil War by blockading the Confederacy and seizing control of its rivers. It played the central role in the World War II defeat of Japan. The 21st century U.S. Navy maintains a sizable global presence, deploying in such areas as East Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. It is a blue-water navy with the ability to project force onto the littoral regions of the world, engage in forward areas during peacetime, and rapidly respond to regional crises, making it an active player in U.S. foreign and defense policy. The Navy is administratively managed by the Department of the Navy, which is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Navy. The Department of the Navy is itself a division of the Department of Defense, which is headed by the Secretary of Defense. The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) is a four-star admiral and the senior naval officer of the Department of the Navy.[14] However, the CNO may not be the highest ranking naval officer in the armed forces if the Chairman or the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are Navy officers, who by law, outrank the CNO. Mission[edit] The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready Naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas. — Mission statement of the United States Navy[15]