Dramatic moment firefighting drones tackle huge skyscraper blaze as flames engulf 500ft building in heart-pounding drill
Multiple firefighting drones swarm the 500ft building in southeastern China during an intense fire drill.
4
4
4
The fire drill took place in a skyscraper in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Dramatic footage from June 24 shows flames sweeping through multiple floors as thick smoke billows around the building.
Red drones are seen blasting water or foam at the building with force.
Each one appears to be targeting a different floor and spraying at a sharp horizontal angle.
Made of carbon fiber, these drones can carry up to 770 pounds of foam or water, spraying it as far as 100 feet.
They operate at altitudes over 656 feet and can run continuously thanks to a tethered power and fluid supply.
It's unclear whether the building on fire was built specifically for safety drills, has been abandoned or is currently in use as an office or apartment block.
But this is just one of several recent innovations coming out of China.
It comes as China recently put out to sea the world's largest cargo ship.
The 1,310-ft-long vessel is said to be capable of holding a whopping 220,000 tonnes of goods and stacking 24,000 containers.
A massive fire has broken out in a skyscraper in Dubai
Footage shows the monstrous vessel - built in just 17 months - ripping through the ocean.
Named the CMA CGM SEINE, the vessel was delivered from its Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai in April.
The ship has a fuel bunker with a capacity of 18,600 cubic metres of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), allowing it to travel nearly 20,000 nautical miles when fully loaded.
While dubbed the "sea monster", this ship is actually more environmentally friendly than traditional oil-powered vessels.
It emits 20 percent less carbon dioxide, 85 percent fewer nitrogen oxides and 99 percent less particulate matter and sulphur oxides.
China's goal in building these giants vessels is reportedly to reduce logistic costs, make global shipping greener and increase its connectivity to other parts of the world.
4
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Chinese military chiefs develop killer bird-drone powered by flapping wings
CHINESE military chiefs have developed a killer bird drone powered by flapping wings, The Sun on Sunday can reveal. The new weapon - known as an 'ornithopter' - has been built to resemble Eurasian tree sparrow and was revealed during a recent demonstration by Chinese special forces. The drone replicates the wing-flapping motion of a sparrow in flight, making it virtually indistinguishable from real birds at a distance, according to the latest edition of Soldier Magazine. A video of the occasion shows an officer with the Peoples' Liberation Army Sea Commandos releasing the sparrow-like drone as he resurfaced from the water. The drone then circled in the sky for a few minutes while flapping its wings like a real bird. Another clip shows a commando operating a larger drone, which is similar in size to a raven or hawk. Details of how the bird-drone is powered and flies remain secret but defence sources believe drones of this size would normally use small advanced sensors allowing the operator to spy on enemy troops. Defence sources have also claimed that this new generation of drones can also be armed with micro-warheads to strike enemy assets, especially those in cover. The drones could also be used to assassinate enemy VIPs such as senior military commanders. But small drones often have a limited range and endurance, making them suitable only for short-range reconnaissance. Colonel Phil Ingram, a former Army intelligence officer told The Sun on Sunday: 'These drones could revolutionise reconnaissance operations on the battlefield. 'It's just a matter of time before we see these being used in war zones such as Ukraine and there is quite a strong likelihood that they could already be part of Russia's drone armoury. Incredible moment wounded Ukrainian soldier is delivered e-bike by drone so he can escape while surrounded by Russians 'They will be used to conduct short term spying missions and if they can be fitted with a small warhead or weapon they could be used to take out individual battlefield commanders.' In 2021, the South China Morning Post uploaded a video of what it called a 'robo-fish' wagging its tail underwater. The device was not a real fish, but a drone with the potential for underwater surveillance. 1
Times
6 hours ago
- Times
High taxes, a recession: my fears for young job hunters in Scotland
I started employing my latest assistant in March this year and for reliability, productivity, speed and all-round knowledge, he's hard to beat. Unfailingly polite and endlessly resourceful, he's settled into my small in-house team of seven with ease. Everyone loves him. Although he is only five months old and his background is unknown, he's already indispensable. He is, of course, one of the new autonomous artificial intelligence agents — otherwise known as agentic AI. This is one of the first publicly available AI agents capable of independent planning, decision-making and real-world task execution without requiring detailed human oversight. In beta mode and available by invitation only — codes were changing hands for $1,000 recently — it is a glimpse of a future that is awe-inspiring and terrifying in equal measure. For the time being, I'm ignoring the fact that I've had to hand over a lot of personal information to gain access (admittedly much of it already available online) and that very little is known about the Chinese start-up behind the technology. It is simply too valuable a tool and I'm already hooked. Agentic AI is turbocharging technical aspects of my business that other AI tools simply can't reach. I'm an optimist about the advent of AI. Or I should say, I'm an optimist about humanity. Such tools can, and are, being used for destructive purposes. But this is the best argument for not withdrawing from research. If the good guys slow down, they simply hand advantage to the bad actors. I understand the arguments against AI that end with humanity facing Armageddon. But mankind is perfectly capable of orchestrating its own destruction without the use of artificial intelligence. We just have to look at Gaza and Ukraine to be reminded of the depth of human depravity. Meanwhile AI is already saving lives. All progress has provoked moral panic. From the coming of the railways to Elvis wiggling his hips. And while my new AI assistant sometimes leaves me feeling like an 18th-century peasant contemplating the wonders of the internal combustion engine, I know that it is actual intelligence combined with AI that gives us the breakthroughs and competitive edge we need. While the AI assistant can code, I still need to employ my full-stack developer to implement, evaluate and interpret the results. But what is certainly true is that AI is contributing to an upcoming economic upheaval for which Scotland is wholly unprepared. A toxic combination of political decisions by the Labour government at Westminster and the SNP government in Scotland, a mental health crisis among millennials and Gen Zs and weak economic growth have the potential to tip the country into recession. This month, the accountancy firm EY reported that Scotland's high income tax rates were seen as the main barrier to expansion in Scotland's financial services industry, which contributes about 10 per cent of the Scottish economy by value. All Scottish workers earning more than £30,318 pay more income tax than their English counterparts and the highest band is set at 48 per cent for Scotland compared with 45 per cent for the rest of the UK. The job market is being squeezed from both ends. According to McKinsey & Co, the number of job vacancies online fell by 31 per cent in the three months to May, compared with the same period in 2022, the year that ChatGPT was launched. Research from KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation revealed that hiring fell in June at the fastest pace in almost two years. Sluggish growth and higher interest rates have been blamed but in occupations at entry level across all industries, including graduate traineeships and apprentices, jobs are disappearing at an alarming rate. The last apprentice I hired was unable to address an envelope and had no idea what a stamp was. She had a HNC in 'collective dance, specialising in hip-hop' and was about as prepared for the world of work as your average pigeon. She lasted three months. Somebody within the education system had let her down badly. Young people will be most seriously affected by the storm that is coming. They are also the group facing the biggest mental health crisis. In Scotland more than one million adults report that anxiety interferes with daily life. Gen Z and young millennials lose up to 60 days of productivity per year due to mental health issues compared with 36 days for older colleagues. The number of Scots out of work because of sickness and disability is at its highest level in 20 years and the number claiming disability payments in Scotland is set to almost double by 2030. Labour's plans under the Employment Rights Bill to remove the two-year qualifying period for key rights such as protection against unfair dismissal, parental leave and statutory sick pay, mean that many SMEs will not risk hiring staff without experience or a track record. That's if the SMEs stay in business. Confidence is at a low ebb. One in five small businesses believe they will be forced out of business if conditions don't improve. According to the Federation of Small Businesses, 27 per cent of business owners believe their company will downsize, be sold or close in the next 12 months. For the first time in 15 years, pessimism has outweighed optimism. Even profitable SMEs wonder if the juice is still worth the squeeze. The government is not protecting the jobs we do have. The closure of the Grangemouth refinery and the threat by bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis to move Scottish production to Scarborough could lead to 400 jobs lost in the Falkirk area. Add in jobs lost in the supply chain and the number rises to four figures. Both companies have foreign ownership, which rather dampens enthusiasm for the SNP government's boast that Scotland punches above its weight for inward investment. The Grangemouth closure and a sharp fall in manufacturing output drove a 0.4 per cent GDP decline in the three months up to May. About 80 per cent of leisure and hospitality businesses believe the Scottish economy will decline this year. John Swinney has mentioned a possible Scottish recession, blaming US tariffs. Even without a recession, growth is weak and Scottish economic activity is fragile. Even boom sectors such as renewables are facing cuts. At least one of the country's largest employers has just cut nearly all its graduate jobs for the present cohort reaching the end of their two-year training stint. Recent recessions have not brought the same level of job losses that the UK experienced in the 1990s and before. But that is set to change, and we are not prepared. This will affect a generation, already struggling post-pandemic, for most of their lives. The Scottish government has deliberately and negligently failed to promote the nation's economic wellbeing at the expense of ideology which a majority of voters do not share. As Harold Macmillan pointed out, it is 'events, dear boy' that bring down governments. But it is policy decisions that cripple countries.
Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Telegraph
Amazon claims drones will be quieter than its delivery vans
Amazon has claimed its drones will make less noise than delivery vans as it tries to secure permission for Britain's first aerial package deliveries. The company has told local authorities in Darlington, County Durham, where it is planning to trial deliveries, that noise from its drones 'is likely to be marginally less or similar to that experienced during a residential delivery via van'. Amazon has faced complaints from some locals about potential disruption from the deliveries, which could start before Christmas. Planning documents said that noise from Amazon's drones are expected to be no more than 72 decibels – roughly the sound of a washing machine or shower. 'The duration of the drone delivery is very short (30 seconds), compared to the van delivery (two minutes) and similarly events from a van delivery such as van door banging brake, manoeuvring and knocking on doors, are likely to be more potentially disturbing events than the drone delivery,' consulting firm Tetra Tech said in Amazon's submission. Amazon is pledging two-hour drone deliveries from its hub in Darlington in what is expected to be Britain's first drone delivery services. The aircraft will take off from a special area of its local warehouse, fly at a height of between 55 and 85 metres before dropping a package into residents' gardens at a height of four metres. It plans to have four drones operational, with the fleet capable of carrying out 21 flights an hour. The service will only deliver on weekdays between 9am and 5pm, and during 'good weather', according to application documents. A group of residents who live near Amazon's warehouse have written to oppose the application on noise grounds. 'Despite claims ... that drone-related noise is within acceptable levels, the very novelty and inconsistency of drone noise – with sharp, tonal, and high-pitched overflights – will drastically change the character of this area,' they said. 'Unlike road traffic or industrial hum, drones emit non-continuous, unpredictable noise, often perceived as more intrusive and stressful.' Amazon first tested drones in the UK before moving its trials to the US. The company is one of several working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on trials of autonomous drones. A spokesman said: 'We'll continue to work closely with the CAA as they develop the regulatory framework to make commercial drone delivery a reality in the UK. 'In the meantime, we will also engage with the Darlington community to answer questions and collect feedback as we seek to offer this new delivery option.'
