The urban search and rescue robot, created by Riaan Stopforth, of the University of KwaZulu-Natal's mechatronics and robotics research group, is a first in Africa and could put South Africa at the forefront of rescue technology.
The prototype, launched in Durban, can withstand heat of up to 300C, climb over rubble, measure gas levels in burning buildings, act as a communicator between victims and rescue teams, and can be the remote eyes of rescue workers, who would not have to risk their lives.
Stopforth began his project three years ago to improve the design and capabilities of search and rescue robots similar to those used to rescue people from the World Trade Centre in New York after the September 11 2001 attacks.
He explained that, once the robot arrived on the scene to assist firefighters, it would take less than three minutes to set up.
The operator would use a remote control device to steer the battery-charged robot into a building.
The robot, which can climb stairs, would then show the operator, through a thermal camera, what was happening inside the building.
Durban's rural metro rescue fire chief, Lenny Naidoo, said the robot would be a "big help" to firefighters, who are often forced to go into "the unknown".
Loading...
Tackler