With the increase in temperatures and continuous heat waves in the summers, fires are multiplying in presence and magnitude in recent years, and with this also putting the lives of firefighters at risk.
Luckily, now a team of Japanese researchers has developed a kind of flying hose that can help firefighters to put out the most dangerous fires.
Specifically, it has been researchers from Tohoku University who in recent years have been specializing in flying robots and have been collaborating with firefighting professionals.
“Here we present a prototype of a four-meter-long, remotely controllable flying fire hose robot, designed to safely and efficiently extinguish fires in buildings by directly approaching the sources of the fire,” said the Yuichi Ambeassistant professor at Osaka University.
This fire hose is propelled to a height of 2 m above ground level through eight controllable water jets that sprout from its center and the head.
This hose can change shape to face the flames. On the other hand, it is connected through a supply pipe to a fire truck equipped with a 14,000 l water tank.
The hose nozzle sprays water at a rate of 6.6 l per second with a pressure of up to one megapascal. Furthermore, the tip of the hose contains a thermal imaging camera to help locate the fire.
This is not a definitive version, they are thinking about perfecting it in the future. Other improvements they have considered include better waterproofing, a nozzle unit capable of handling a wider range of forces and an improved mechanism for channeling water flow.
