Firefighting Robot Dog: High-Pressure Water Cannon

I. Project Background

    A large warehousing and logistics park, spanning 800,000 square meters, contains 12 high-bay warehouses (each 15 meters high) storing various goods, including flammable items such as cardboard, plastics, and electronics. The park is equipped with 4 fire hydrant pump stations and 80 hydrants. Its previous fire response model, “fixed firefighting facilities + firefighters with handheld extinguishers,” had significant flaws: 1) Fixed systems could not reach elevated areas (above 10 meters) in the warehouses, forcing personnel into high-risk, elevated firefighting; 2) Dense storage caused heavy smoke and poor visibility, hindering rapid fire source location—a 2023 fire where delayed detection allowed flames to spread to three storage zones caused losses of 2 million RMB; 3) Narrow fire lanes in some areas blocked large fire trucks, limiting efficiency. To enhance its fire suppression capability, the park deployed 8 firefighting robotic dogs with high-pressure water cannons in April 2024.

II. Implementation Process

1. Adaptation and Deployment (April 12 – 27)

    The robotic dogs underwent firefighting-specific modifications. They were equipped with a high-pressure water cannon system (rated pressure: 10 MPa, range: 25m, 360° rotation and pitch adjustment) compatible with park hydrants for quick water intake; infrared thermal imagers and smoke-penetration cameras for precise fire source location in obscured conditions; high-temperature (800°C) resistant, fire-retardant shells with IP68 waterproofing; and a navigation module with fire lane maps for autonomous optimal route planning.
Water intake points were pre-set around the 12 warehouses and key fire lane nodes. A 3D firefighting map was built, detailing storage zones, firefighting assets, and escape routes. Water cannon firing modes (precision burst / area sweep) and targeting priorities were configured. Integration with the park’s fire control system enabled real-time pump station pressure adjustment.

2. Trial Operation and Optimization (April 28 – May 17)

    Simulated fire drills in a decommissioned warehouse replicated scenarios involving different fuels, smoke, and elevated fires. Two core functions were optimized: Algorithm improvements enabled the water cannon to automatically track and engage locked-on targets, increasing hit accuracy from 85% to 99%. Enhanced track grip and a center-of-gravity adjustment system solved stability issues in stacked goods areas.
Testing confirmed a single unit could reach any park location, intake water, and begin firefighting within 3 minutes, demonstrating triple the efficiency of manual crews for fires at 15-meter heights.

3. Formal Operation (May 18 – Present)

    The 8 units are stationed around the park’s warehouses for routine patrols. Upon alarm, they autonomously proceed to the nearest water point, intake water, and follow optimal routes to the scene. Using thermal imaging, they lock onto the fire source and engage in precise suppression, simultaneously transmitting live footage of the fire and progress to the command center. Multiple units can coordinate to form suppression teams for large-scale fires.

III. Application Results

• Enhanced Suppression Efficiency: Fire source location time reduced from 15 minutes to 3 minutes. Extinguishment time for high-bay warehouse fires fell from 60 minutes to 15 minutes. In 2024, the system successfully handled 5 incipient warehouse fires, preventing spread to other zones.

• Expanded Firefighting Coverage: The 25-meter water cannon range eliminated blind spots for areas above 10 meters, reducing coverage gaps from 40% to 0.

• Improved Safety & Cost Savings: The robotic dogs replaced personnel in high-risk areas (smoke, heat, heights), reducing firefighter casualty risk by 100%. Three firefighting teams were eliminated, saving approximately 1.44 million RMB annually in labor costs.

IV. Typical Scenario

    On October 5, 2024, at 10:30 AM, a fire ignited on the third level of Warehouse No. 7 due to overly dense cardboard storage and an electrical short. Thick smoke spread rapidly, reducing visibility below 1 meter. The fire command center dispatched two nearby robotic dogs. They arrived at 10:33 AM, quickly located the third-level fire source using their cameras and thermal imagers, entered via a planned route, and connected to the nearest hydrant. By 10:35 AM, both units coordinated their attack—one targeting the core with precision bursts, the other sweeping surrounding areas to cool and contain the spread. The command center monitored progress via live feed. The fire was fully extinguished by 10:48 AM. The incident caused no casualties. Damage was confined to a limited storage area, with direct losses under 150,000 RMB—a 92.5% reduction compared to a similar 2023 fire.