Hyundai unveils firefighting robot for hazardous fire scene deployment
Iain Hoey
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Firefighting robot video follows agency handover
Hyundai Motor Group has released a video introducing its Unmanned Firefighting Robot after the system was unveiled and donated to South Korea’s National Fire Agency on 24 February 2026.
The video, titled A Safer Way Home, was released on 2 March and presents the robot as a disaster response platform developed with Hyundai Motor Company, Kia, Hyundai Rotem, Hyundai Mobis and the National Fire Agency (NFA).
The Unmanned Firefighting Robot is designed for deployment in active fire scenes where collapse, explosion, high temperatures, toxic gas or dense smoke make access difficult for firefighters.
It remotely identifies conditions at the scene, approaches the source of the fire and extinguishes the blaze.
The video includes field footage, photographs and testimony from active-duty firefighters.
Im Pal Soon, a rescue team leader from the Central 119 Rescue Headquarters who operates the Unmanned Firefighting Robots, provides narration in the campaign video.
The footage also includes a factory fire in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea, on 30 January, which the Group described as the first real-world use case for the technology.
Robot design and operational features
According to Hyundai Motor Group, the robot is based on HR-SHERPA, a multi-purpose unmanned vehicle developed for military use, and combines remote operation with vision enhancement and a thermal management package.
Its body includes a self-spraying water-cooling system and an insulation structure intended to support operation in temperatures of up to 800 degrees Celsius and protect the battery and electric control systems.
The robot includes an advanced self-driving assistance system that recognises terrain and obstacles to reduce collision risk in curved, narrow or obstacle-dense environments.
It has a top speed of 50 kph and can handle inclines of up to 60 percent longitudinally and 40 percent transversely.
It can also cross vertical barriers up to 300 mm.
An AI vision-enhancing camera uses short and long wave infrared thermal imaging sensors to transmit real-time video in dense smoke and high heat.
A high-pressure self-illuminating hose reel uses a photoluminescent hose that emits light in dark conditions and is intended to support orientation and escape routes in low-visibility spaces such as underground areas.
The 6×6 in-wheel motor system places a motor in each wheel, allowing 360-degree rotation in place and supporting manoeuvrability in confined spaces.
Hyundai Motor Group said the electrical modules are waterproof and dustproof, and that removing the need for a separate drive shaft improves drive efficiency and control.
Future firefighting role set out by agency and Group
The Group said the robot’s longer-term role is as a data acquisition platform that digitises disaster scenes and uses machine learning to analyse conditions such as smoke volume, fire scale and temperature.
The future plan described by the Group, the NFA and the National Fire Research Institute is for a fully autonomous system that can assess conditions, analyse the fire’s origin and suppression priorities, and calculate an extinguishing method after deployment.
Seung-ryong Kim, Acting Commissioner of the National Fire Agency, said: “The true value of this robot is not merely its heat resistance or fire suppression power, but its role as a ‘Physical AI’ that operates in actual disaster sites.
“In extreme environments where firefighters cannot enter, it will collect and learn from real-world operational data to develop into a sophisticated disaster response platform.
“This will usher in an era of hybrid convergence where humans and robots overcome their respective limitations, marking a ‘paradigm shift for AI in firefighting.’”
The Group said it plans to continue developing related technologies and expanding support for on-site response capabilities, and linked the robot campaign to other support programmes for uniformed services in Korea.