firemen
Latest
MABEL running robot snags bipedal speed title, cue 'Rocky' theme (video)
MABEL the running robot has been training hard, grabbing the title of "fastest bipedal robot with knees." Like any great sports star, it's been plagued by many dream-crushing obstacles and injuries, but this time it's done it: running at a speed of 6.8 miles per hour on a track. Jessy Grizzle, professor at the University of Michigan's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, attributes this bot's success to its human-like weight distribution -- a heavier torso and flexible legs with springs similar to tendons for movement "like a real runner." This bipedal technology, which can mimic a human's ability to run and climb over obstacles, may be used to help the disabled walk again, in rescue situations or as the basis of future vehicles that don't require roads or wheels to drive. If MABEL doesn't make the SWAT team this year, it can most certainly snag a spot as an extra in the next Transformers movie. Check out the PR and video of this modern day robo-Flo-Jo after the break.
Video: Rescue drone swallows humans, carries them to safety
The Tokyo Fire Department faces somewhat stiffer challenges than your run-of-the-mill blown battery or imploding workstation, so we're happy to see them enroll the use of some hi-tech machinery into their arsenal. The latest entrant is a human extraction bot, designed to do the heroic fireman thing without risking the lives of any actual, uh, men. Operated by remote control, it gets into hot, wet or earthquakey zones, finds the unconscious humanoids and devours them for later regurgitation. What's not to love? We haven't got a name for it yet, though we know it has a bigger brother equipped with all sorts of cameras and environmental detectors, so we suspect this is a pretty intelligent little beast as well. Just mosey on past the break already, and try to keep the Soylent Green jokes to a minimum. [Via Ubergizmo]
Thales develops Indoor Positioning System based on UWB
Thales -- the French aerospace company that brought us MILTRAK -- has rolled out yet another impressive development, this time aiding firefighters, cops and armed forces in tracking objects / people while indoors. Its Indoor Positioning System (IPS) is essentially "an indoor form of satellite navigation," and while we've heard of similar, this iteration is based around ultra-wideband. Notably, the company implied that it hoped to bring the technology to police forces and military platoons in the future, and if things go smoothly, consumers could actually see it used in GPS-enabled mobiles in order to provide navigation services in more places. Unfortunately, it seems as though Thales is still working on completing the new system, so we wouldn't get all hopeful for a commercial release anytime soon.
Cologne firemen make haste in rescuing crash test dummies
Here's an interesting one. Apparently, a team of engineers failed to shut off the automated emergency calling system on a vehicle being used in a crash test facility in Germany, and as you may expect, it wasn't long after the dummies slammed into a wall that medical personnel were arriving on scene. It was reported that this incident was the first of its kind, as members of the Cologne fire brigade rushed out to what they believed was some sort of "massive" automobile accident. The firemen were able to locate the vehicle due to its integrated GPS unit, and while we're sure they were at least slightly confused upon arrival, at least they got to take the fire engine out for a leisurely spin.[Thanks, Martin T., image courtesy of Edmunds]
