Industry
Thermal runaway detection and robot reconnaissance rollout speeds up to prevent battery fires
Industry is widening responses to lithium battery fires by deploying unmanned reconnaissance and expanding detection beyond visible flames. Thermal runaway is hard to spot in advance because voltage and temperature change little until just before it occurs, and remaining batteries can run away again after a fire is put out. Off-gas sensing is being tested as an early-warning method, while robots are used to inspect sites after extinguishing. Overseas standards are beginning to require off-gas monitoring.
