Firefighting

Toyohashi University of Technology has developed an inside-out fire extinguisher for use inside spacecraft. Instead of spraying out extinguishing agents at a fire, the Vacuum Extinguish Method sucks the flames into a vacuum chamber, where they can be safely suffocated or extinguished.

​Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has developed a pair of firefighting robots that work together in situations deemed too hazardous for human crews. Along with a third recon robot and a command system, the Water Cannon Robot and Hose Extension Robot form part of a Firefighting Robot System.​

Not only do firefighters have dangerous jobs, but they often work in dark, smoke-filled environments where they'd be difficult to find if they ran into trouble. A new motion-powered wearable sensor could make all the difference in such situations.

​When firefighters arrive at a house fire, it's crucial that they know the location of people who may need their help the most. The LED- and laser-equipped Beam Ready BR-1000H is designed with that in mind, and it's just hit Kickstarter.

Training firefighters can be dangerous, costly and time-consuming. To help train firefighters more often and more easily, a new virtual reality simulator called the FLAIM Trainer has been developed, made up of an HTC Vive VR headset, haptics systems and a vest that tracks the trainee’s vital signs.

​We've already seen robots that are made to help put out fires, but SmokeBot is a little different. Designed by a consortium led by Sweden's Örebro University, it's intended to perform reconnaissance missions in low-visibility smoke-filled buildings, creating maps that firefighters can follow.

When the elevator is out, firefighters could find themselves having to carry heavy equipment up many flights of stairs. Such a scenario has prompted Trigen Automotive to develop Auberon, a mechanical exoskeleton designed to take the strain out of carrying emergency equipment up to tower-top fires.​

​Researchers have come up with a “fire alarm wallpaper” which can detect a house fire, but also sound an alarm and even help to restrict the spread of fire. It's made from hydroxyapatite, which occurs in bone and teeth. However, the wallpaper’s real smarts are down to an ink-based on graphene oxide.

​SAFFiR, the US Navy's experimental firefighting robot, may be in for some competition. That's because researchers at IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia have successfully tested a new-and-improved version of the WALK-MAN humanoid robot, which is designed to support firefighters.

Air tankers are an important part of the fire-fighting arsenal, but their current reliance on human pilots severely limits their potential – so Drone America and Thrush Aircraft have teamed up to develop the world's first autonomous air tanker.

Sikorsky has announced that is will repurpose 10 ex-US military Black Hawk helicopters for aerial firebombing operations and year-round emergency and disaster relief in Australia and New Zealand.

Dubai's firefighters have flirted with the idea of firefighting jetpacks before - but now, with Project Dolphin, they're looking at a fleet of jet ski-based quick response units that can fight seaside fires from on top of a 30-foot high waterjet-propelled hoverboard.