Pill Bug Fight Forrest Fires

[fireryone]

http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/12/ole-pil...t-forest-fires/

http://www.research-in-germany.de/coremedi...20research.html

 

 

"Who put out the camp fire?"

"The Giant Metal Beetle"

 

German researchers at the University of Madgeburg-Stendal have developed a concept for a robot shaped like a pill millipede that could potentially detect and fight forest fires. Were the "OLE" a real robot, it would be able to scuttle around the forest floor at speeds of around 6 to 12 MPH, using infrared and "biosensors" to detect fire sources. If it gets into trouble, it can curl up just like a real pill bug and be fully protected thanks to a ceramic-fibre compound shell that can withstand temperature of 1,300 Degrees Centigrade. According to the researchers, 30 of these OLEs could protect a forest area as large as 2,700 square miles, whilst simultaneously freaking out hundreds of forest animals.

 

 

 

Magdeburg-Stendal FH researchers are developing the off-road, fire-fighting beetle, OLE, which is destined to extinguish fires before they can turn into disasters. OLE is supposed to monitor large areas of forest with the help of infrared and biosensors, discover fire sources and immediately report and fight them. Scientists have constructed the robot fire-fighting beetle on the pattern of the pill millipede, an insect belonging to the centipede family. Just like centipedes OLE can roll up into a ball when danger threatens and retract its six legs. Its heat-resistant shell is made of a ceramic-fibre compound which can withstand temperatures of 1,300 degrees centigrade while protecting the sensitive technology in its insides. Two mechanical feelers help it to move safely across uneven, difficult terrain and reach the danger zone quickly. Depending on the state of the ground, OLE can scurry along at 10 to 20 kilometres per hour. The beetle fights the fire with an impulse appliance. In order to protect an area the size of the Black Forest (7,000 square kilometres) from fire, 30 insects would suffice.

 

[DennisD]

Can you imagine it coming charging out of the trees at someone with a cigarette in their mouth.

 

Love to see that.