CNN

When a fire breaks out, every second counts – and for firefighters, stepping into a burning building can mean facing intense heat, smoke and the unknown.

But a group of university students and recent graduates in Texas is developing a robot that might one day help firefighters see danger before they ever cross the threshold.

FireBot is being built by Paradigm Robotics , an early-stage startup founded by University of Texas engineering graduate Siddhart Thakur. Its purpose: to go where firefighters can’t — into the heart of a blaze and send back vital information.

A student-built idea born from tragedy

“The story of FireBot started almost 13 years ago,” Thakur told CNN, “when a large structure fire unfortunately killed five firefighters in Houston, Texas. Knowing two of them, I b

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