In 2020, a devastating fire erupted on the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard while it was undergoing maintenance in San Diego, resulting in catastrophic damage that took considerable effort to extinguish.

In the near future, the potential for preventing such disasters exists through the deployment of agile robots capable of accessing hazardous spaces that are unsuitable for human crews.

This visionary concept is championed by Glen Henshaw, the section head for robotics and machine learning at the Naval Center for Space Technology, which operates under the auspices of the Naval Research Lab, Navy Times reported.

Henshaw leads one of two NRL teams sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, dedicated to the experimentation with four-legged robot “dogs.”

These trials focus on evaluating the robots’ proficiency in navigating through the complex, obstacle-laden environments found on Navy vessels and their capacity to assume the responsibilities of maintenance tasks that are either perilous, mundane, or time-consuming.

The numerous “tanks and voids” within ships, necessitating regular cleaning and maintenance in confined spaces, present an ideal use case for the integration of such robotic companions.

Written by staff