Automated devices have burst into our everyday life; robot vacuum cleaners, smart homes, unmanned systems on the ground, in the air, in water or in space are no longer a surprise to us. Technological progress is constantly developing in this direction.
Developers from Ukraine propose to extinguish fires using automated multiple launch rocket systems, which makes it possible to extinguish a fire at the initial stage of its development.
The «Antifire Rockets» automated multiple launch rocket system is a network of transport-launch containers. This network of transport-launch containers is managed by the Center for Remote Monitoring and Control, and if necessary, information from Earth remote sensing satellites can be used.
At the same time, the autonomy of the transport-launch container while identifying and launching missiles in the automatic mode for extinguishing fires is preserved.
The "smart" firefighting missile itself consists of two units: a unit with a fire extinguishing agent and a reusable jet drone. The jet drone is equipped with the necessary sensors, smart avionics, and controlled jet engines, which allows the firefighting missile to bypass obstacles while flying to the target.
Some might be skeptical that we would have to trust to automatics, however we've been trusting our lives to it already for a long time, both in our everyday life and in industrial or military environments.
The transport-launch containers placed at their posts will be familiar to us to the same extent as the repeaters for mobile communications.
The "charge" of one robotic firefighting missile is capable of spraying a fire extinguishing agent over an area of ~100 м2 (~1000 square feet). One container contains twelve robotic firefighting missiles, which makes it possible to extinguish twelve ignitions or a forest fire with an area of ~1200 м2 (~12000 square feet). In the event of lacking firefighting missiles when extinguishing a fire from one transport-launch container, neighboring transport-launch containers from the network will be connected to extinguish the fire.
The compact dimensions of the transport-launch container allow it to be transported in the back of a conventional pickup truck.
Initially, the system was considered as a means of extinguishing fires in high-rise buildings, but it can also be safely put in defense of densely populated areas and megacities, in industrial areas where there is a danger of contamination with hazardous substances during a fire, as well as objects on the water surface.
Along the way, this system can not only monitor the surrounding area in order to detect ignitions, but also provide relevant information in real time for law enforcement agencies, hydrometeorological services, as well as provide sparsely populated areas with wireless communication, etc.
The use of solar panels as a part of a transport-launch container will allow not only recharging «Antifire Rockets» batteries, but also supplying free electricity to consumers who are nearby.
Achievements of Ukrainian developers will help to solve the issue of prompt fire extinguishing at the stage of ignition and thus save the population and business from more global damage and, as a result, colossal insurance payments.
Andrey Sokol, Dnipro, Ukraine