Guide to Extreme Fire Equipment
Rainbow 5
The Fire Department of Tokyo, Japan started using "robots" in 1986. The
first was the infamous "Rainbow 5", designed to fight highly dangerous
fires. Rainbow 5 used a total of four wireless video cameras to relay
information to the human in remote control, and was capable of spraying
large volumes of water and foam. Considering available technology of that
era, R5 was certainly at the cutting edge of public safety robotics. Recent
correspondence and literature from our friends in Tokyo still includes
mention of their beloved Rainbow 5 as well as several other "robotic"
devices being used by TFD in a vast variety of roles. Tokyo is arguably the
most progressive municipal Fire Department on the planet. If you are doing
research on Fire Service robotics (or seeking to profile a Fire Department
that comes closer to perfection than any I have ever seen), you would be
remiss not to include Tokyo.
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