Say “bonjour” to Colossus: the French firefighting robot that helped save Notre Dame.
As the 850-year-old cathedral burned Monday, the Paris Fire Brigade deployed the fire-resistant, waterproof android to quell the flames.
Dramatic footage shows 2.5-foot tall remote-controlled bot spraying water inside the smoke-filled Gothic gem.
The 1,000-plus pound machine is equipped with a fire hose and a camera that firefighters can control from afar, without having to risk burns, smoke inhalation or being hit by falling beams.
Colossus “helped extinguish the fire and lower the temperature inside the nave,” Paris Fire Brigade spokesperson Gabriel Plus told AFP.
It was developed by the company Shark Robotics and added to the Paris Fire Brigade team two years ago, according to France Info.
“This is a robot that is designed to remove humans from danger,” said Shark Robotics co-founder Cyril Kabbara . “Not to replace [humans] but to act as operational support for firefighters.”
Latest Stories
-
Cucumbers – Making the most of them
4 hours -
Revenue growth to slowdown to GH¢209.3bn in 2025; T-bills will not be restructured – IC Research
6 hours -
Deloitte celebrates end-of-year Thanksgiving Service
6 hours -
Inflation to end 2025 between 10% and 12% – Databank Research
6 hours -
Government’s commitment to fiscal consolidation to remain strong in 2025
6 hours -
ImageBureau, April Communications take theatre to Nsawam Prisons
7 hours -
Bird flu kills 20 big cats at US animal sanctuary
7 hours -
Your peaceful conduct saved the country from tension – Clergymen commend Bawumia
7 hours -
A Nite of 1031 Laughs & Music to provide emergency insurance for patrons
7 hours -
Body found in wheel well of United plane after landing in Hawaii
7 hours -
Ghana Armed Forces dismisses viral audio alleging ammunition transfer
7 hours -
Former Hohoe MP Bernice Adiku Heloo passes on
9 hours -
CODEO calls for re-run of Ablekuma North, Dome Kwabenya parliamentary elections
9 hours -
4,155 cholera cases with 35 deaths recorded by December 23 – GHS
10 hours -
Mothers celebrate arrival of Christmas Day babies at Ridge Hospital
12 hours