Robots drain flooded underpass in typhoon-hit Shanghai

Local emergency crews deployed high-tech drainage robots to clear severe flooding beneath a major road underpass, as Typhoon Dolphin brought heavy rain and fierce gales to Shanghai during the past two days, local news portal thepaper.cn reported.

Due to narrow spaces and height restrictions at the site, two specialized robots nicknamed "Big Buffalo" and "Little Hippo" were dispatched at 7 pm on August 10 by the Shanghai Chengtou Water Group. Working alongside crews operating hydraulic submersible pumps, the machines removed up to 980 cubic meters of floodwater per hour. By 0:30 am on Aug 11, the inundated underpass was largely cleared.

Capable of wading through water and climbing stairs, both robots are equipped with 50-meter, 8-inch hoses and remote controls that feature real-time digital water-level readouts.

"Big Buffalo" can wade through up to 70 centimeters of water with a maximum capacity of 600 cubic meters per hour, while the other wades up to 40 centimeters with a capacity of 380 cubic meters per hour.

Ma Tan contributed to this story.