World's first AI firefighting system extinguishes oil fires on ships

The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) has developed the world’s first AI-driven autonomous fire suppression system specifically designed to detect and extinguish oil fires aboard naval vessels, even under challenging sea conditions. Utilizing reinforcement learning, the system compensates for ship motion by continuously adjusting its nozzle aiming angle based on acceleration data, enabling it to accurately target fire sources up to 24 meters away. Unlike traditional systems that flood entire compartments, KIMM’s technology precisely directs foam only at confirmed fire locations, reducing unnecessary damage from false alarms. The system integrates sensors, fire monitors, and an AI-based control unit that verifies fire authenticity with over 98% accuracy and adapts to sea states of level 3 or higher. Extensive testing was conducted in a full-scale simulation facility replicating ship compartments and various fire scenarios, including open-area and shielded oil fires typical on aircraft carriers. Subsequent real-ship trials aboard the ROKS Ilchulbong amphibious assault ship demonstrated the system