Hyundai, NFA to develop robot to combat carpark fires

Unmanned Firefighting Robot. (Hyundai Motor Group)

Hyundai Motor Group and South Korea’s firefighting agency will collaborate to develop an unmanned robot designed to operate underground parking lots and deal with tasks often fraught with danger.

The Korean automaker announced on Thursday a partnership with National Fire Agency (NFA) to launch fire safety measures for electric vehicles. As part of the partnership, Hyundai Rotem Co. is working on a firefighting robot that will feature a 65-millimeter fire-resistant tarp, a thermal camera, and a spray device. The robot can be operated remotely by wireless networks.

As Korea has many underground parking lots where smoke and heat make it difficult for firefighters to enter during a fire, the unmanned robot is expected to be an effective solution.