Firefighters in South Korea will soon start deploying alongside a massive, 6-wheeled, self-cooling autonomous robot that can help to keep them safe. Hyundai recently revealed the new, driverless ground drone, which can survive a 1000º F blaze. The firefighting robot uses a self-spraying system that continuously cools it with water, keeping its external temperature between 122º and 140º degrees. Built atop a chassis initially intended for military use, the firefighting robot looks like something out of a sci-fi film. The truck can reach speeds of up to 31mph. More importantly for firefighting, its chassis lets it climb inclines of up to 60%, meaning it can reliably access sloped areas like underground parking lots and warehouse ramps. The robot has a massive hose that can both douse fires and illuminate dark areas to help in search-and-rescue missions. It also has thermal imaging sensors that can see through thick smoke. Hyundai says the goal is to send the bright red behemoth into dangerous areas ahead of firefighters to start tackling blazes and map out safe escape routes. Though it’s unclear how much each of these robots cost, Hyundai says it has already donated two of them to a pair of firefighting stations in South Korea, with two more on the way.
