The Ministry of Environment yesterday unveiled a robot dog that can assist in dealing with chemical emergencies, as well as enhance detection and safety.
Deputy Minister of Environment Hsieh Yein-rui (謝燕儒) said the robot dog, which was purchased from the US, weighs 51kg and costs about NT$15 million (US$492,805).
The robot was introduced under the ministry’s program to bolster chemical substance management, and improve chemical emergency preparedness and response, he said.
Photo: Huang Yi-ching, Taipei Times
The ministry hopes to purchase two more by 2029, so that the northern, central and southern chemical emergency response centers would all have one, Hsieh said.
The goal is to equip each of the 10 environmental incidents specialist teams across the three centers with one search-and-rescue robot dog, if budget allows, he added.
The US import should also encourage domestic research and development of robot dogs, thereby lowering costs, he said.
Chemicals Administration Acting Director-General Chen Shu-ling (陳淑玲) said that unknown chemicals are the primary risk at chemical emergency sites, and it is crucial to promptly and precisely identify the chemicals via detection technology.
“It can be peroxides, which require water to lower temperatures, or substances that are dangerous when wet, which cannot be exposed to even a drop of water,” she said.
The ministry will continue to introduce smart disaster prevention equipment and promote cross-department cooperation to build Taiwan into a leading Asian country in chemical emergency response, she added.
Chemicals Administration environmental incidents specialist Chuang Kai-an (莊凱安) said that chemical emergencies could require five hours to several days of search and detection.
While rescue personnel wearing protective suits cannot stay at chemical emergency sites for more than 30 minutes, uncrewed ground vehicles such as robot dogs can conduct detection work for four to six hours, he said.
That would reduce the frequency of personnel rotation and the risk of injury, Chuang said.
The robot dog can complement the currently serving multifunction detection robot, a crawler vehicle that can carry up to 150kg, but is not good at overcoming obstacles, he said.
Robot dogs are lightweight and can handle various obstacles, such as climbing stairs, Chuang said.
Given their efficiency, more robotic equipment would be introduced and applied in search-and-rescue efforts, he said.
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