LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The nation’s first firefighting robot got put to work early Tuesday on a building fire in downtown LA’s textile district.
(credit: CBS)
The Thermite RS3 robotic vehicle was scheduled to make its public debut at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. It got put to work a few hours early, however, to assist Los Angeles firefighters in battling a greater-alarm fire in the 800 block of Crocker Street.
The robot resembles a small tank, and is outfitted with a firehose and an angled plow in front. It can perform multiple functions, especially at commercial and industrial fire incidents where it can be used to keep firefighters out of harm’s way, according to the Los Angeles fire Department.
The RS3 was purchased and donated to the department by the LAFD Foundation.