Robotic firefighting team debuts (BBC) {and not in Japan!}

[eppur_se_muova]

A team of fire-fighting robots has been unveiled by defence contractor QinetiQ at a demonstration in London.

The display showcased a quartet of robots aimed at tackling the particular risk of fires involving cylinders of the industrial gas acetylene.

The robots range from a nimble, stair-climbing reconnaissance unit to a diesel-powered robot with a large claw.

The two-year project is funded by Network Rail, the Highways Agency and Transport for London.

Organised in conjunction with the London Fire Brigade, the project has been on trial since last year, with the team of robots - and their operators - on call for incidents that happen in London and the Southeast.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8172739.stm




No mention of earlier use of robots to dispose of bombs? :shrug:(possibly the IRA's most beneficial, however indirect, contribution to humanity)