Southern Manatee Fire Rescue gets Spherical Robots

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) – NASA funded technology is making its way to Manatee County, where it's now in the hands of Southern Manatee Fire Rescue's hazmat team.

Southern Manatee Fire Rescue has partnered with Squishy Robotics since 2022, according to Rich Gatanis, a hazmat technician and firefighter for Southern Manatee Fire Rescue.

According to NASA, the robots were originally designed to explore other planets like Mars and the moon. Gatanis said they will help keep firefighters safer by taking them out of the equation.

“It's a four gas or multi-gas sensor that can be deployed remotely. Whether from a drone, from any sort of aerial perspective, or can simply be tossed down a hallway, dropped into a manhole,” said Gatanis.

Gatanis said the robots use radio frequency to communicate data back to the command center. Data that includes assessing disasters, crashes, and fires before crews go in.

“The robots actually communicate with each other. So, if we had multiple robots deployed, they talk to each other and I'm getting all of that data. So, kind of what they call a mesh network right, so, I can create longer distances by mesh networking them together,” said Gatanis.

Daniel Lockney, NASA Technology Transfer Program Executive, said the robots ultimately save lives.

“Better control and command of the environment to better fight the fire. With more information the better, right,” said Lockney.

Lockney said the advantage to robots is having them do the work that's dangerous for humans.

“Finding bombs or assessing threats or fighting fires. Things that people can do but it sure would be nice if they didn’t have to,” said Lockney.

Lockney said these spherical robots are still developing but said it wouldn't be surprising if they become the next big toy everyone has at home.

For more information on the robots visit NASA's website, here.

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