--- title: "This Firefighting Robot Looks Absolutely Awesome" description: "The Los Angeles fire department rolled out the first firefighting robot in the US, allowing teams to put out a fire in the city \"from inside.\"" date: "2020-10-23" modified: "2020-10-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/this-firefighting-robot-looks-absolutely-awesome" categories: - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "firefighting" - "firefighting robot" - "los angeles" - "the digest" --- # This Firefighting Robot Looks Absolutely Awesome ![The Los Angeles fire department rolled out the first firefighting robot in the US, allowing teams to put out a fire in the city "from inside."]() *\Image: Robotic Firefighters\* ## Robotic Firefighting Vehicle The Los Angeles fire department rolled out the first firefighting robot in the US at a major fire earlier this month, [*CNN* reports](). The golfcart-sized Thermite RS3 Robotic Firefighting Vehicle features two tank-like treads, a plow attachment to push obstructions out of the way, and a powerful water cannon. https://youtu.be/o1y_qA5o5ZM It can blast 2,500 gallons of water or foam per minute, [according to the *LA Times*]() — enough to knock someone off their feet. "You can turn the water cannon vertical and turn it into its own sprinkler system," LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas told the *LA Times*. "It may make us rethink some of the ways we tackle fires when it’s available." ## Water Cannon Bot It may have a hefty $272,000 price tag, but it's capable of going where no human would be safe. "I can afford to lose one of these wonderful machines, I cannot afford to lose a firefighter," Terrazas told the *Times*. During a October 13 fire at two industrial textile buildings in downtown LA, RS3 was the first to take on the flames, according to the newspaper. It even used its plow to gain entry to one of the buildings, allowing the team to "fight the fire from inside," according to Terrazas. ## A Global Phenomenon The US isn't the first to put firefighting robots into action. For instance, the Paris Fire Brigade [called in]() a firefighting robot named Colossus fight the [devastating fire]() at the Notre Dame cathedral in April 2019. Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has also [demonstrated similar robots]() designed to battle particularly hazardous fires. **READ MORE:** [L.A.'s new firefighting robot is the first of its kind in the U.S. — and can go where humans can’t]() \[*LA Times*\] **More on firefighting robots:** *[See the “Colossus” Firefighting Robot That Helped Save Notre Dame]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()