In the future, when fire trucks rush to the scene of a fire in South Korea, they are likely to be carrying more than a hose and ladders.

While evidence of a fire is often easy to see, the conditions inside a building are often unpredictable. That's where robots may prove invaluable.

Firefighting robots are designed to help firefighters do a more effective job, more safely. The robots are controlled wirelessly from outside a building, while sending back infra-red images of the scene inside.

Manufactured by South Korean company Hoya, the "Fire Spy" is small, lightweight and capable of withstanding extreme temperatures as it transmits real-time data back to firefighters on the outside.    

[Lee Woo-jun, Fire-robot Researcher]:
"At a fire scene, the robot can predict when buildings will collapse by detecting the temperature of the scene. So it can reduce harm to the firemen that may get wounded or killed by a collapse."

This robot can withstand temperatures of up to 500 degrees Celsius (932 degrees Fahrenheit) for more than one hour. It can also serve as a remote-controlled fire hose.    

The "Fire Spy" robot will be on trial through November before the robots are then deployed to actual fire scenes in Daegu, south of Seoul.