Slovakia equipped its firefighters with new equipment at the end of 2024, which included the handover of 10 pieces of the modular electric robot COLOSSUS to the Fire and Rescue Force. Officialy, we can say the COLOSSUS robot is part of the Slovak Fire and Rescue Force.
Almost immediately after the robots were handed over, intensive familiarisation with their features and capabilities began. We started the training on how to operate the robot, where the operators tried moving with the robot, using its accessories. The first attachment was a water cannon with a flow rate of up to 3,500 liters per second. The robot was equipped with a rotating turret featuring an optical camera with 40x zoom. The turret also includes a thermal camera and auxiliary lighting. A motorized bumper for obstacle clearing is also part of the equipment.
The biggest challenge is gaining control of the robot and learning which part of the tablet controls what. The right side controls robot movement, speed, the video tower, and the motorized bumper. The left side controls the water trap and switches it to sprinkler mode. It also manages lights, the siren, and the electric water valve. You can also control the winch from the left side. The top of the tablet is used to switch camera views.
After the basic introduction we “toughened up” in the training and it was the turn of pushing away obstacles, extinguishing with the help of water, foam and even a combination of these activities. The firefighters also tried using multiple robots at once on an obstacle that was beyond the capabilities of a single robot. The COLOSSUS robot successfully handled these challenges, and we believe it will become a valuable member of the HaZZ team.
