A firefighting robot called Colossus helped battle the Notre-Dame blaze

[midian182]

Why it matters: While there was extensive damage done to the building, the fire at Notre-Dame didn’t totally destroy the 856-year-old cathedral. Helping the 400+ firefighters tackle the blaze was Colossus—the Paris Firefighter Brigade’s 1,100-pound robot.

Trying to put out the 15-hour inferno that started at Notre-Dame on Monday presented some unique challenges. US firefighter Gregg Favre explained how old churches have few, if any, passive fire protection systems, and that the heavy 2.5-inch fire hoses are difficult to maneuver and largely ineffective against fires like these. But the biggest concern was the risk of the old timber structure collapsing on top of the firefighters.

This option also means placing responders on the inside as the roof is falling down around them.

And we aren't talking shingles.

This is heavy timber construction. Often 12"x12" in old churches, perhaps bigger in a #Cathedral this old. pic.twitter.com/RwO3N1Qrjw

— Gregg Favre (@GreggFavre) April 15, 2019

Thankfully, Colossus was on hand to help. The robot’s design allows it to endure harsh conditions while operating a fire hose, moving heaving equipment, or carrying the wounded to safety. The machine, which is around 5.25-feet long, 2.5-feet wide, and slightly under 2.5-feet tall, can be operated from 1000-feet away.

French firm Shark Robotics created Colossus, which, as you’d imagine, is waterproof and fire-resistant. The six lithium-ion batteries power two electric motors that can push the robot to 2.2 mph. It’s also able to traverse difficult terrain and carry 1,200 pounds.

Colossus had other machines helping it fight the Notre-Dame fire. Two drones—a DJI Mavic Pro and a Matrice M210—were used to thermally map the building and direct water toward the hottest parts.

Le robot d’extinction d’incendie qu’ont utilisé les pompiers .#NotreDameDeParis pic.twitter.com/HQWrwG3Zjp

— Diego Calmard ✍ (@diegocalmard) April 16, 2019

Utilizing Colossus helped ensure nobody was killed during the fire, though two police officers and a firefighter were reportedly injured, according to the New York Times.

A number of companies and individuals, including Apple and Ubisoft, have donated money to help rebuild Notre-Dame. The fund reached one billion Euros ($1.13 billion) after just two days, bringing questions over whether some French donors had ulterior motives such as tax breaks and political influence, and why it has raised so much more than other, arguably more worthy causes. Should the insurance pay for the fire damage, the donations might not even be required.

We are heartbroken for the French people and those around the world for whom Notre Dame is a symbol of hope. Relieved that everyone is safe. Apple will be donating to the rebuilding efforts to help restore Notre Dame’s precious heritage for future generations.

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 16, 2019

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/79706-firefighting-robot-called-colossus-helped-battle-notre-dame.html

 

[Tantor]

Funny that the Colossus is so very small. Only 2.5 feet high and wide.

The intentional destruction of large religious and nationalist symbols is more common than people realize.

The great pyramids of Giza were essentially destroyed by Al-Malik al-Aziz Uthman ibn Salah ad-Din Yusuf, the second Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt. He regarded them as an affront to Islam. They were originally totally covered with gleaming white limestone. He ripped it all off and build something like 20 mosques with it. That's why the pyramids look so horrible now.

In 1931 the Soviet Bolsheviks dynamited the great Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. It was originally built to commemorate the miraculous Russian victory over Napoleon. The ruling Bolsheviks hated the Russian people and especially their Christian heritage. On the ruins they built the worlds largest open air swimming pool. After the fall of the USSR in the early 1990's, the cathedral was finally rebuilt, using donations from Russian Christians. I saw it in 2004. I noticed that the stone blocks were remarkably precise, without the rough hewn look of hand carved stone, probably because they used modern cutting methods rather than hammer and chisel.

In 2001 the Taliban destroyed the two Buddhas of Bamiyan. They were gigantic stone Buddha statues dating from the 4th century.

France has recently been experiencing a huge wave of church vandalisms, over three per day during the last year. Notre Dame may have been an accident, but the sentiment to destroy it certainly exists, very much like the sentiment to destroy statues of famous American founding fathers.

It's a sad fact that the first thing conquerers do is destroy the monuments of the nation they conquered. As the Western peoples gradually descend into minority status, their history will be submerged and forgotten.

 

[Trapped Nowhere]

God created some talented minds to be able to create this gift from above

 

[kevbev89]

Funny that the Colossus is so very small. Only 2.5 feet high and wide.

The intentional destruction of large religious and nationalist symbols is more common than people realize.

The great pyramids of Giza were essentially destroyed by Al-Malik al-Aziz Uthman ibn Salah ad-Din Yusuf, the second Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt. He regarded them as an affront to Islam. They were originally totally covered with gleaming white limestone. He ripped it all off and build something like 20 mosques with it. That's why the pyramids look so horrible now.

In 1931 the Soviet Bolsheviks dynamited the great Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. It was originally built to commemorate the miraculous Russian victory over Napoleon. The ruling Bolsheviks hated the Russian people and especially their Christian heritage. On the ruins they built the worlds largest open air swimming pool. After the fall of the USSR in the early 1990's, the cathedral was finally rebuilt, using donations from Russian Christians. I saw it in 2004. I noticed that the stone blocks were remarkably precise, without the rough hewn look of hand carved stone, probably because they used modern cutting methods rather than hammer and chisel.

In 2001 the Taliban destroyed the two Buddhas of Bamiyan. They were gigantic stone Buddha statues dating from the 4th century.

France has recently been experiencing a huge wave of church vandalisms, over three per day during the last year. Notre Dame may have been an accident, but the sentiment to destroy it certainly exists, very much like the sentiment to destroy statues of famous American founding fathers.

It's a sad fact that the first thing conquerers do is destroy the monuments of the nation they conquered. As the Western peoples gradually descend into minority status, their history will be submerged and forgotten.

You should write a history book. Way more poetic and entertaining than the crap I read in high school.

 

[Hexic]

Funny that the Colossus is so very small. Only 2.5 feet high and wide.

The intentional destruction of large religious and nationalist symbols is more common than people realize.

The great pyramids of Giza were essentially destroyed by Al-Malik al-Aziz Uthman ibn Salah ad-Din Yusuf, the second Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt. He regarded them as an affront to Islam. They were originally totally covered with gleaming white limestone. He ripped it all off and build something like 20 mosques with it. That's why the pyramids look so horrible now.

In 1931 the Soviet Bolsheviks dynamited the great Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. It was originally built to commemorate the miraculous Russian victory over Napoleon. The ruling Bolsheviks hated the Russian people and especially their Christian heritage. On the ruins they built the worlds largest open air swimming pool. After the fall of the USSR in the early 1990's, the cathedral was finally rebuilt, using donations from Russian Christians. I saw it in 2004. I noticed that the stone blocks were remarkably precise, without the rough hewn look of hand carved stone, probably because they used modern cutting methods rather than hammer and chisel.

In 2001 the Taliban destroyed the two Buddhas of Bamiyan. They were gigantic stone Buddha statues dating from the 4th century.

France has recently been experiencing a huge wave of church vandalisms, over three per day during the last year. Notre Dame may have been an accident, but the sentiment to destroy it certainly exists, very much like the sentiment to destroy statues of famous American founding fathers.

It's a sad fact that the first thing conquerers do is destroy the monuments of the nation they conquered. As the Western peoples gradually descend into minority status, their history will be submerged and forgotten.

You should write a history book. Way more poetic and entertaining than the crap I read in high school.

I thought I was reading an excerpt from the official friggin’ article.