How do you go from terminator to extinguisher?
There's really no point gathering the finest minds in science, engineering and technology together if you're not going to attempt the 'classics'. You know - turning science fiction into fact. Making stuff fly. Making stuff invisible. Visiting far-flung galaxies. And robots. Always the robots. With the helpful and the servile and the malfunctioning and the taking over the world.
And boy do we have robots. Our man-portable Talon™ robots are widely used for bomb disposal, reconnaissance, security and rescue. They have all-weather, day/night capabilities, can keep pace with a running soldier and navigate virtually any terrain. They're also virtually indestructible. A Talon™ was blown off the roof of a Humvee in Iraq, it flew off a bridge, plunged into the river below and was driven back out again hours later.
It's this durability that made us realise we could transform Talon™ into SAM, a firebot that can go places far too hazardous or inaccessible for real firefighters. SAM can identify the source of a fire, find casualties, spot potential backdrafts and detect toxic gas. It cannot, as yet, moonlight as a taxi driver.