Picture of the Day: Korean Firefighting Robot
A firefighting robot capable of attending to blazes in places human beings cannot approach, is displayed during an international fire and safety expo at the EXCO convention center in the southeastern city of Daegu on May 20, 2026. (Yonhap)
That is not a serious firefighting robot.
The only place this robot can go that people can’t go is closer to the fire.
And this robot isn’t designed to go close to fire.
– black absorbs radiant heat… there is a reason those suits people wear near lava is reflective silver
– exposed black rubber treads is asking for trouble
– a thin reflective sheetmetal shield between robot and fire with an airgap would greatly protect the robot
This looks like what a robot designer who knew nothing about heat or firefighting would design.
And some paper-pusher, public or private, who knows nothing about heat, firefighting, or robots signed off on it.
What CH said. Plus, look at the fires from EV batteries. That expensive toy would be a puddle of liquid metal and a puff of greasy black smoke.
Ha!
After a little research, it turns out my observations are shared in the industry.
Firefighting robots aren’t designed to fight fires.
They are designed to take taxpayer money by making firefighters feel tacticool.
They are based off of bomb disposal robots which have designs that are “certified”.
It is cheaper to paint a bomb disposal robot red and replace the arm with a hose than it is to make a functional robot and go through the regulatory process.
As always, good job, government.