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ARMTEC's SACI firefighting robot
It seems the Foundation for Industrial and Scientific Research in Norway (SINTEF) isn't the only game in town, er, the world, out to make firefighters' jobs a lot easier (or endangered). Brazil's ARMTEC has crafted a water-blasting robot -- dubbed SACI -- that would make a warehouse of Super Soakers look like child's play. The bot, obviously immune to smoke, fear, and extreme heat, can quench flames in a trio of ways: a direct stream, foam blast, or a wide-reaching "mist" approach. To extinguish those hard-to-reach hot spots, it touts a maximum blast of 60 meters, and the cannon pivots from 20 - 70 degrees vertically while being wheeled around on the tank-like track system. Unlike the Anna Konda, which has motors powered by a regular fire hose, this remotely controlled machine requires batteries to maneuver itself around. But this fearless commander doesn't get burnt out quickly, as it can pump fluids for three solid hours before needing a recharge. So if your local fire department has too many flames to handle, and not enough men to keep things cool, snagging a tag-team of SACIs may be in order to beat the heat.[Via Robot Gossip]
