"Called "Fire Rescue" units, the robots are essentially beefed up models of the Unitree B2. According to Unitree's website, they Fire Rescue platform allows public safety officials to kit out their B2s with modular components, allowing them to spray water and foam, fight wildfires with air cannons, transmit data and video from inside burning structures, and carry equipment for rescuers."
"Trial footage of the B2 Fire Rescue bot in action quickly made the rounds on Chinese and Western social media. The short clip shows a firefighter attach a high-pressure hose to the back of a unit, which springs up and advances toward a brush fire. Controlled by a teleoperator, the device positions itself in front of the fire, dousing it in a stream of water."
"On Reddit, Western netizens wondered if the devices would weigh enough to withstand the high pressure typical of US handlines, the hoses firefighters carry by hand to directly attack fires. "I'm hoping dog has some heavy weight, but if not you'll need several dogs to hold down the hose," one Redditor commented. "Those things ain't no joke, the pressure is insane.""
Four-legged robots have grown popular since 2004 across military, surveillance, and companionship roles. Unitree developed B2-based Fire Rescue units to assist firefighters at dangerous blazes. The platform lets public safety officials outfit B2s with modular components to spray water and foam, fight wildfires with air cannons, transmit data and video from inside burning structures, and carry equipment for rescuers. Trial footage shows a teleoperated unit accepting a high-pressure hose and dousing a brush fire. Chinese users praised the technology as helping rather than replacing people, while Western commenters questioned weight and hose-pressure handling.
Read at Futurism
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