BAGAN SERAI: Firefighters at the Bagan Serai Fire and Rescue Station have developed a robot called ‘Serai Gorgon 1’ (SG1) for use in their firefighting operations to minimise the risk of injury and ensure smooth firefighting and rescue operations.
The station chief, Ahmad Noor Syamsi Zainoldin said SG1, which took two months to develop, was realised following the ideas and skills of six firefighters who started their project in July last year.
He said the 71-kilogramme robot cost about RM11,000, with 90 per cent of the materials being iron and recycled electrical appliances.
“The idea to develop this robot came after thinking about the risk of injury and death that firefighters often face during various operations, especially firefighting and rescue operations.
“The materials used to make the robot included a 1.6-millimetre-thick hollow square iron, motorcycle sprockets, water sprinklers and power window motors and other components,“ he said when met by Bernama at the Bagan Serai Fire and Rescue Station yesterday.
Ahmad Syamsi said the fire station also collaborated with the Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) to evaluate the performance and durability of SG1.
“The collaboration centred on a test to evaluate the capabilities and durability of SG1, especially in supporting firefighting operations.
“The result was that SG1 can withstand a temperature of up to 300 degrees Celsius, while this robot can lift a maximum load of 250kg during rescue operations,“ he added.
According to Ahmad Syamsi, the robot is also equipped with a remote control, a camera system, a gas detector, a water spray nozzle and a ‘water curtain’.
“The function of the remote control is to control the movement of SG1 when performing operations. The camera system provides visual indications of the risks present in the environment, while the gas detector is used to detect dangerous gases.
“The water spray nozzle plays a role in controlling the movement of water and the appropriate type of spraying that needs to be done, and the ‘water curtain’ is used to protect SG1 from extreme heat,“ he added.
The robot also plays a role in getting into tight spaces that firefighters have difficulty entering during fire and rescue operations, he said, adding that the SG1 had also been used in two operations involving open burning in August and October.
Ahmad Syamsi said it was because of the SG1 innovation that the Bagan Serai Fire and Rescue Station emerged as the champion at the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department’s (JBPM) 2023 Innovation Week last Nov 16.–Bernama
