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Firefighters face some of the most hostile operating conditions of any emergency service. Thick smoke blocks vision, heat degrades sensors, and GPS signals are often unavailable inside large buildings or underground spaces. These factors slow response times and place crews at significant risk, especially when fires involve hazardous materials or unstable structures.
A newly developed firefighting robot is designed to operate precisely in those conditions. Unveiled as part of a series of award-winning technologies at CES 2026, the compact, tracked robot is built to navigate smoke-filled environments autonomously while identifying and suppressing fires without relying on GPS or conventional cameras. Its core innovation lies in how it perceives and understands its surroundings.
Instead of vision-based navigation, the robot uses millimeter-wave radar combined with simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). This allows it to move through dense smoke where optical sensors fail, building an internal map of its environment in real-time. The radar-based approach enables stable navigation indoors, in tunnels, or in collapsed structures, where satellite signals and line-of-sight visibility are unreliable or non-existent.
According to Interesting Engineering, once on scene, onboard artificial intelligence takes over key decision-making tasks. Deep-learning modules analyze sensor data to identify the type of burning material, allowing the system to select the most appropriate extinguishing agent automatically. Additional sensors measure flame intensity and feed continuous updates back to a remote command station, giving operators a clearer picture of fire behavior as it evolves. A closed-loop control system then locks onto the fire source and suppresses it with minimal human input.
The robot’s tank-like design prioritizes mobility and stability, enabling it to traverse debris-strewn floors and narrow passages while carrying firefighting equipment. By performing initial reconnaissance and suppression tasks autonomously, it reduces the need for firefighters to enter the most dangerous zones during the early stages of an incident.
While developed for civilian firefighting, the technology has clear defense and homeland security relevance. Military bases, ammunition depots, naval vessels, and critical infrastructure sites face similar fire risks, often in environments where visibility is poor and access is limited. An autonomous platform capable of operating without GPS, maintaining communications, and making real-time decisions could support damage control, disaster response, and hazardous incident management in both military and dual-use settings.
The system also demonstrates a broader trend in robotics: shifting from remotely controlled machines to autonomous agents that can sense, decide, and act under extreme conditions. As emergency response and security operations grow more complex, technologies that remove humans from immediate danger while maintaining situational awareness are likely to become increasingly important.
