This robot can snuff out wildfires with a cryogenic spray Northeastern University professor Yiannis Levendis built a firefighting machine that “suffocates” flames. Aobo Liu, who studies mechanical engineering, works on professor Yiannis Levendis’s firefighting robot in the Snell Engineering building. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern UniversityHe knew that liquid nitrogen had been used to help stop fires deep in coal mines, but he thought they could also be developed to fight wildfires. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University Aobo Liu, who studies mechanical engineering at Northeastern University, works on a prototype firefighting robot that snuffs out flames with a cryogenic liquid. Photos by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University