WPI gets $600K to train firefighting robot
Courtesy of Virginia Tech
The SAFFiR humanoid robot aboard the USS Shadwell in fall 2014.
Courtesy of Virginia Tech
The SAFFiR robot during a firefighting exercise.
A Worcester Polytechnic Institute professor has received nearly $600,000 to develop the algorithms for humanoid robots designed to fight fires aboard U.S. Navy ships.
The award from the Office of Naval Research will fund a team of WPI students who will develop software for a firefighting robot built by Virginia Tech engineering students. Joining Berenson on the WPI research team are undergraduate Will Pryor, graduate student Yu-Chi Lin and post-doctoral fellow Andreas Orthey.
The SAFFiR (short for Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot) robot is designed to fight fires and perform other maintenance tasks, according to a release from WPI. SAFFiR -- which stands 5 foot 10 inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds -- was put through an initial firefighting exercise on a ship in fall 2014 and will undergo more specialized tests this year.
The robot will allow the Navy to respond to onboard fires that can be especially volatile as the ships are often carrying ordinance and other flammable systems. The robot can be continuously updated without retraining costs associated with teaching humans.
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