Emergency Response
When something goes wrong, the first question is what is actually in there. Ferradyne builds robots that get decision-quality information about a dangerous scene to responders before they commit people to it.
Every day, not only disasters
Large disasters are rare. Emergencies are not: Oregon alone logs roughly 675 incidents a day, from structure collapse and entrapment to chemical hazards, gas leaks and missing persons. We design for that daily all-hazards work first, so the same robot earns its place between the big events.
Who we build for
- County sheriffs and search and rescue teams
- FEMA Urban Search & Rescue task forces
- Fire departments, HazMat teams and bomb squads
- State and local emergency management agencies
- Military engineer, EOD and CBRN units
What the robot does
- Crosses stairs, curbs, rubble, mud and standing water
- Sees with thermal and depth cameras and senses gas, so responders know what is inside before entering
- Talks both ways, so a rescuer can speak to someone who is trapped
- Keeps working when the radio link drops, with autonomous fallback
- Carries and deploys fast, and can be operated by one person in gloves with little training
- Opens doors, moves light debris and delivers aid with its manipulator arm
Built to a recognized standard
We design to the ASTM E54.09 response robot test methods published by NIST, and to the requirements of FEMA Authorized Equipment List item 03OE-07-ROBT, from the start rather than as a retrofit. That lets agencies compare our performance against a common yardstick, and lets grant-funded buyers justify the purchase.
What we have learned from past rescue robots
Fielded rescue robots are too often lost to ordinary problems such as getting stuck, flooding or snagged cables before their sensors ever get used. So we prove mobility, tether handling and communications loss on simple, repeatable tests first, and we confirm with responders that they want a mission before we build it.
Work with us
We are looking for responders willing to tell us where a robot would change a go or no-go decision, and for agencies interested in piloting. Get in touch.