A Massachusetts company is sending a robot to Surfide, Florida to help with search and rescue efforts after a deadly building collapse.
A specialized robot developed in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, is now in Surfside, Florida, helping rescue teams search for any signs of life in the massive pile of rubble following a large apartment building collapse.
“We overnighted a system down there to have at the ready,” said Tom Frost, Vice President of Teledyne FLIR’s ground robot business.
The 5-lb. robot is equipped with a specialized camera that can fit into small spaces.
“This robot is small enough to go into those voids, travel down in areas people can’t go and provide that feedback via video camera and microphone,” Frost said.
In tonight's Daily Debrief, the desperate search for survivors continues in Florida after a condo building suddenly collapses. Plus, a car slams right into a popular Worcester diner as people are eating breakfast and a scare for a black bear in Marion.
Teledyne FLIR develops robots at its Chelmsford facility. They’ve been used by the military and first responders. One of the first versions was used at Ground Zero on 9/11. It was a much larger 50 pounds. Frost was there to help operate it.
“It is daunting when you look at the pile and the collapse and realize how unstable it is and the threat to the first responders,” he said. “It’s a very precarious situation.”
He said that scene is similar to what they’re dealing with in Florida. Frost hopes their robot can help in any way possible.
“Anytime that we can help, we put our equipment forward and offer it to the first responders or the military or whomever needs it,” he said.
The company’s robots have also been used in the hunt for the Boston Marathon bombers as well as the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Steve McConlogue, president of the state IAFF firefighters union in New Jersey, explains how emergency responders handle a situation like the building collapse in Surfside, Florida, with more than 150 people unaccounted for.
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A “Surfside Strong” sign hangs on a balcony as search and rescue operations continue at the site of the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building on June 25, 2021 in Surfside, Florida. Over one hundred people are being reported as missing as search-and-rescue effort continues with rescue crews from across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
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Fayzah Bushnaq draws out a prayer in the sand near where search and rescue operations continue at the site of the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building on June 25, 2021 in Surfside, Florida.
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A man prays near where search and rescue operations continue at the site of the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building on June 25, 2021 in Surfside, Florida. The man, overcome with emotion, said he had lost a relative in the collapse.
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Maria Fernanda Martinez, Fayzah Bushnaq, and Mariana Cordeiro console each other near the site of a search and rescue operation at the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building on June 25, 2021 in Surfside, Florida. The 99 people are being reported as missing as search-and-rescue effort continues with rescue crews from across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Gerald Herbert/AP
Workers use a lift to investigate balconies in the still-standing portion of the building adjacent to where a wing of a 12-story beachfront condo building collapsed, late on Thursday, June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami.
Gerald Herbert/AP
A Miami-Dade Fire Rescue team sprays water onto the rubble as rescue efforts continue where a wing of a 12-story beachfront condo building collapsed, late on Thursday, June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami.
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In this aerial view, search and rescue personnel work after the partial collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building on June 24, 2021 in Surfside, Florida.
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Search and rescue personnel work in the rubble of the 12-story condo tower that crumbled to the ground during a partially collapse of the building on June 24, 2021 in Miami. It is unknown at this time how many people were injured as search-and-rescue effort continues with rescue crews from across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
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Search and rescue personnel work in the rubble of the 12-story condo tower that crumbled to the ground during a partially collapse of the building on June 24, 2021 in Surfside, Florida. It is unknown at this time how many people were injured as search-and-rescue effort continues with rescue crews from across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
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Luz Marina holds a picture of her aunt, Marina Azen, who she said is missing after the partial collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South condo tower that she was in on June 24, 2021 in Surfside, Florida. It is unknown at this time how many people were injured as search-and-rescue effort continues with rescue crews from across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
People console each other near the site of a partially collapsed building, June 24, 2021, in Surfside, Florida. A wing of a 12-story beachfront condo building collapsed with a roar in a town outside Miami early Thursday, trapping residents in rubble and twisted metal.
Marta Lavandier/AP
Rescue workers walk among the rubble where part of a 12-story beachfront condo building collapsed, Thursday, June 24, 2021, in Surfside, Florida.
AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
Rescue worker walk among the rubble where a wing of a 12-story beachfront condo building collapsed, Thursday, June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami.
A photo shows flooding on the ground floor of the Champlain Towers after a portion of the 12-story condominium collapsed overnight, June 24, 2021, in Miami, Fla.
AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
Jennifer Carr, right, sits with her daughter as they wait for news at a family reunification center, after a wing of a 12-story beachfront condo building collapsed, Thursday, June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami. Carr and her family were evacuated from a nearby building.
AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
People lie on cots as they wait for news at a family reunification center, after a wing of a 12-story beachfront condo building collapsed, Thursday, June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Household items and debris dangle from a partially collapsed multistory beachfront condo, Thursday, June 24, 2021, in Surfside, Florida.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
A man waits for information after a partial building collapse, Thursday, June 24, 2021, in Surfside, Florida.
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An approximation of the Champlain Towers condominium before its collapse superimposed over an aerial photo of the site of collapse, June 24, 2021, in Miami. It is still unknown how many people are missing as rescue workers continue to dig through rubble well into the morning.
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A young boy is pulled out from the rubble, alive, after a condominium partially collapsed early Thursday morning in Miami, Florida, June 24, 2021.
A photo shows the Champlain Towers after a portion of the 12-story condominium collapsed overnight, June 24, 2021, in Miami, Fla.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Firefighters search a partially collapsed building early Thursday, June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami, Florida.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
A partially collapsed building is seen early Thursday, June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami, Florida.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Bystanders look at a partially collapsed building early Thursday, morning June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami, Florida. A partial building collapse in Miami caused a massive response early Thursday from Miami Dade Fire Rescue, according to a tweet from the department’s account.
