Robot-assisted smart firefighting and interdisciplinary perspectives

Urbanization and changes in modern infrastructure have introduced new challenges to current firefighting practices. The current manual operations and training including fire investigation, hazardous chemicals detection, fire and rescue are insufficient to protect the firefighter's safety and life. The firefighting and rescue functions of the existing equipment and apparatus and their dexterity are limited, particularly in the harsh firefighting environments. It is well-established that data and informatics are key factors for efficient and smart firefighting operation. This paper provides a review on the robot-assisted firefighting systems with interdisciplinary perspectives to identify the needs, requirements, challenges as well as future trends to facilitate smart and efficient operations. The needs and challenges of robot-assisted firefighting systems are firstly investigated and identified. Subsequently, prevailing firefighting robotic platforms in literature as well as in practices are elaborately scrutinized and discussed, followed by investigation of localization and navigation support methods. Finally, conclusions and future trends outlook are provided.