A robot dog has been used by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) to lead search and rescue efforts following the collapse of a parking garage in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, April 18. The tragic incident left one dead and 5 injured.
The robot which goes by the name Spot, was used to search for survivors and evaluate the damage caused by the collapse.
The incident happened shortly after 4 p.m. at Ann Street near Nassau Street in the Financial District.
A mound of shattered concrete can be seen in a video posted online, with cars and debris piled up to a significant height on top of it.
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Authorities said there were six workers in the building at the time of the collapse, and they have all been accounted for.
“There was a worker that was trapped on the upper floors. He was conscious and alert and moving around calling us. He just couldn’t get down, and we were able to put firefighters up there in the building and take him out across the roof to another building and bring him down safely,” FDNY Chief of Fire Operations John Esposito said.
The human firefighters were withdrawn from 57 Ann St. due to the building’s almost 100-year-old age and its unstable structural integrity and the robot was deployed to replace them.
New York City Fire Department (FDNY) chief John Esposito said the rescue operation was “extremely dangerous” for the firefighters and deemed the structure “very unstable”.
“We had firefighters inside the building conducting searches. The building was continuing to collapse,” he said. “At this time, we believe that we have the workers that were in danger all accounted for, all out of the building.”
“Thank God we had the robotic dog that was able to go in the building. This is ideally what we talk about not sending a human being inside a building that is unstable,” Mayor Eric Adams said at the scene.
The robot dog was able to explore the building’s interior and transmit footage, while drones were also employed to conduct a thorough search for any remaining survivors who may have been missed.
“What we observed from the drone deployed, we observed that there is a four-story building all the way pancaked, collapsed all the way to the cellar floor,” Acting Department of Buildings Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik said.
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Acting Department of Buildings Commissioner, Kazimir Vilenchik, stated that there were active violations on the building dating back to 2003. However, an application was filed in 2010 that did not indicate whether the violation was corrected or not. The building currently holds active permits, including one for electrical work on the premises.
The authorities said that the reason for the collapse was not yet determined, and Department of Buildings officials were inspecting adjacent structures for any signs of harm.
This incident highlights the crucial role that technology plays in disaster response and emphasizes the need for continuous advancements in robotics and AI for future disaster management scenarios.
