Watch out

A firefighter should be able withstand heat to be effective in controlling a fire. Based on this principle, a group of university students and recent graduates in Austin, Texas, USA, developed a robot firefighter that can withstand extreme temperatures.

The inventor of the FireBot, University of Texas engineering graduate and Paradigm Robotics startup founder Siddhart Thakur, used stainless steel, tungsten, and titanium to make it able to withstand heat of up to 650°C (about 1,200°F) for 15 minutes, CNN reports.

In contrast, a firefighter’s protective gear is good only for roughly between 200 and 300 degrees Fahrenheit, former Austin fire chief Richard L. Davis told CNN.

The same metals make the FireBot durable against corrosive chemicals and roof collapses.

The 300-pound, four-foot-long FireBot is fitted with remote-control thermal and visual cameras and gas sensors that can transmit live video and heat readings from inside a burning structure to let firefighters know what to expect before they enter a fire scene.

Meanwhile, a new watch that can withstand temperatures of up to 100°C was launched on 17 October in Japan.

Maker Casio Computer Co. said the “Sadokei” watch has a heat-resistant battery and is made with a moisture-resistant resin, The Yomiuri Shimbun (TYS) reports.

The Sadokei, Casio’s first wristwatch with a stretchable watchband, sells for 16,500 yen, or P6,300 with 2,200 pieces sold so far.

The watch was developed over about three and a half years by four Casio employees who wanted a heat-resistant watch for use in a sauna bath.

The employees were motivated by the need to check the time while in the sauna, according to TYS.