The year is 2037. A skyscraper is in flames. A fire truck speeds to put out the fire, but traffic is at a standstill. Big problem, right? Not for this wonderfully imaginative design for the fire truck of tomorrow, which can elevate above traffic and glide between cars on wheels supported by a pair of gyroscopic columns. And that doesn’t even get us to the huge drone waiting to be deployed when the fire truck reaches the blaze.
The design is the work of Russian engineer and inventor Dahir Semenov, also known as Semenov Dahir Kurmanbievich. He has a long track record of imaginative, occasionally terrifying visions of future technology. This fire truck is one of his most intriguing and benign designs, and it’s part of a larger bunch of ideas for gyroscopic vehicles.
“We also used a gyro wagon to design a fire engine, which allows for quick access anywhere in the city, regardless of road conditions,” says the explanatory video, included below. “If there are traffic jams, the car just rises over the traffic on telescopic legs and moves between the rows of cars.”
Whether the truck would actually work is an open question, considering this is strictly at the concept stage. The video does point out there’s about a century’s worth of vehicles using gyroscope technology, even if none have really caught on in a major way.
But enough of that. Let’s get to the massive firefighting drone, shall we?
“On arrival at the fire site, a 20-engine drone connected to the car with a power cord pulls out of the car and soars up high,” says the video. “The drone has more than enough power to go up to the fire location, along with necessary firefighting equipment, along with water hoses and special cannons shooting capsules with fire-extinguishing powder. Besides, the drone can use the walkway to take on board and evacuate up to five victims, if necessary.”
If nothing else, this design is a good reminder that the future might be equal parts unfamiliar, scary, and inspiring — but let’s also make sure we keep the future weird. This fire truck is doing its part.
