Paris firefighters used this remote-controlled robot to extinguish the Notre Dame blaze [IEEE Spectrum]

The Paris Fire Brigade has seen its share of logistical challenges, but the massive conflagration that consumed parts of the Notre Dame cathedral on the night of 15 April required a fight of epic proportions. The cathedral is 856 years old and built in a style that makes it almost structurally impossible to contain a fire. The site doubles as both a wildly popular tourist attraction and a holy site for Christians. Defending this symbol of French heritage would require all the tactical and physical power the Brigade had at its disposal—human and otherwise.

My latest for IEEE Spectrum is here, about a little French firefighting robot I’m trying very hard not to adopt as a pet.