Popular delivery bot bursts into flames while scooting around UC Berkeley

Welcome to the future! Dumb robots!

Most fire extinguishers aren’t effective for extinguishing lithium polymer battery fires - lack of oxygen doesn’t stop the thermal runaway reaction. Maybe CO2 extinguisher applied sufficiently early to cool down the battery before it starts burning would work though…

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This is California. The epitome of the Nanny-state and the land of cancer warnings on animal crackers. If they haven’t legislated for fire extinguishers everywhere then we’re all doomed.

Yes, I am aware; it’s the state I live in.

That said, I can’t watch the vid right now as I’m at work, and I didn’t just assume that ‘on campus’ necessarily meant being directly near any campus buildings or businesses, because UC Berkeley’s campus is rather big, and does include some small, wooded areas.

Still, from the thumbnail it looks as if this incident happened near Sather Gate… which if that’s the case, you are correct; any of those adjacent buildings should definitely have working fire extinguishers on hand.

Had this happened near say, People’s Park, that might not have been the case.

No offense intended; that seems to be your general outlook, regardless.

Edited for typos.

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I’m sorry if I offended you by perhaps mischaracterizing the overzealousness of your state’s legislature for failed comedic effect.

It’s out in the open on concrete. Let it burn. Besides it can be rather expensive to refill a fire extinguisher or replace it if non-refillable.

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Back to the drawing board for the bake-as-you-go pizza delivery bot…

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Hey! Don’t blame us for these things!

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You didn’t; it’s just that not all jokes hit their mark.

Your original comment genuinely made me wonder how many businesses etc are not only up to code, but if they can easily lay hands on their emergency gear at a moment’s notice. Just because something is a law, doesn’t mean that’s what actually happens in everyday practice.

Again, I agree with your initial assessment; Don’t just stand there filming like an idiot while the damn thing blazes - look for a way to put the fire out, or at least call the FD.

ETA:

image

Um no thanks; CA has already had more than ‘our fair share’ of toxins needlessly put into our breathable air from all the wildfires.

If you see something on fire, “letting it burn” is a horrible idea.

Put that shit out, or call someone who can.

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Word. Bystander effect in its full inglory.

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I’d have thought basic survival concepts like FIRE = BAD would be hardwired into our species by now.

Of course, I seem to be quite wrong; as many of us seem to have completely overridden our self-preservation instinct, and have veered straight into ‘Darwin Award’ territory.

>_<

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Umm, how do lithium fires react to dihydrogen-monoxide?

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Smoke is caused by incomplete combustion. Unless you’re absolutely sure you can put it out in its entirety you stand the chance of releasing even more toxins than if you would have waited until the fire department to arrive with the proper choice of extinguisher. Just don’t let it spread.

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That’s not what the statement ‘let it burn’ implies, at all.

Again if a person can’t put out a fire on their own, then they need to call someone who can, ASAP … but standing around watching/filming is not just unhelpful, it’s dumb.

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In fairness, she also yelled at another rubbernecker to get out of the way so she could continue recording her uselessness. /s

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For ~1 year I had a very energetic, bright-eyed, fresh-out-of-Berkeley engineering double major assigned to my cubicle. Apart from her stories of seemingly recurrent cafeteria food poisonings (she got spiked twice), she seemed almost proud (as only a true nerd could be) of the campus’s legendary weirdness (ex: “Triangle Man”; “Naked Guy”). So I wouldn’t be surprised if a good chunk of UCB ascribed some coolness to the bot incident and see it as adding to the **charm of Berkeley. I know I would.

**The candlelight vigil nails it… and adds depth to the incident. I like these kids!

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Killjoy!!

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Enthusiastic.

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College students major in making time for the silly. [I should know]

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This guy?

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