Dubai: Fire Fighting Drones and Robots
This post is also available in: 
עברית (Hebrew)
Dubai’s Civil Defense Agency recently acquired 15 remote operated quad copters – the new UAVs will patrol above sensitive areas and industrial zones in order to detect fires. Dubai is also evaluating a new fire fighting robot, currently under development.
According to The Nation magazine, in case of fire the UAVs will be operated by agency personnel, fly over burning buildings and facilitate a quicker decision-making process – even before fire fighters arrive.
According to CDA Chief Rashid Al-Falasi a special unit was established for operating the new drones. In case of fire four quad-copters will monitor the incident location, the officer in charge using the transmitted data in order to quickly form a method of operation.
The small aircraft will be used for several purposes, including patrols, supporting fire fighting operations and transmitting aerial photography during incidents. The drone’s battery lasts only 45 minutes, requiring officers to reach a nearby launching area by other means in order to save power.
IHLS – Israel Homeland Security
The agency is also evaluating a fire fighting ground robot manufactured by NAFFICO, a fire fighting equipment vendor. The robot is similar to a small fire fighting truck, and is equipped with foam and water tanks. It is remotely operated, with a range of up to 15 kilometers from the incident site.
The robot, called Knight Hawk, features heat sensors and a navigation system. The developer, Dutch company GEOBORN, claims that in later stages of development the Knight Hawk will become fully autonomous. The developers explained that in countries like Belgium, The Netherlands and Britain fire fighters aren’t allowed to enter burning buildings, for safety reasons, so “a robot should do it, instead.”
According to the Dubai authorities the robot will participate in the first stages of fire fighting operations, preparing the grounds for the arrival of the human teams.
