I'm not a firefighter, so this might be totally off the wall, but isn't one of the techniques going after the hot spots. What if a robot like this was equipped with an IR camera and could semi-autonomously address the areas most in need?
MRDON--I agree completely. I have an uncle who retired as a firefighter and it is definitely one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet. Any robotic mechanism or system that can remove some of the danger would be welcomed by them. I can also see systems such as these being very effective combined with SWAT teams and law enforcement teams. The engineering would be well worth the effort. Beth, great post.
TV is quite the influencer and if used in a positive way, young minds will be swayed to Change the World creatively using science and engineering tools and methods.
These guys need to take it up a notch if they are going do open ocean water rescue. Perhaps they can make new version of the Amphicar. Now that would be cool!
If you can make an inventor/engineer's zest to create and develop a robot as "sexy" and cutting edge as chronicling an Olympic athlete's training plan or a rock star's rise to fame, you've scored in terms of exposing our youth to the positives of this profession. Think about what Discovery's Deadliest Catch did for elevating the dangerous and often unglamourous job of king crab fishing in the Bering Straits.
Hey Beth, These robots are pretty cool and the fact their designers are young engineers, is what's needed to motivate the new generation of technologists to pursue careers in engineering and science. Positive representation of young adults, like the Howe Brothers, help kids dream with big with imaginations and create cool machines like these awesome firefighting robots. Agreed, Discovery Channel does a pretty good job illustrating the coolness of engineering with the MythBusters and the Howe brother's robotics TV documentary.
Hi Charles, I agree, these robotic vehicles are awesome. The use of robots to assist in fire fighting is a definite welcome in removing humans from performing dangerous jobs. Design News is a definitely leader in reporting unique and cool robotics applications. Nice work Elizabeth!!
Amazing and useful product, given the amount of danger that firefighters face. Slightly reminiscent of a robot called The Bear, that we've written about a couple of times previously.
This robot is definitely pretty intimdating and looks like it could get the job done under even the toughest conditions. Interesting that these guys are celebs in their own right--these Discovery Channel shows focused on engineering and science: Myth Busters, Deadliest Warrior, etc. are really doing a lot to promote the "cool" side of engineering and what's possible to the up and coming generation. Rock star robot builders--that's progress.
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
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For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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