CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Nowadays, fire accidents are very common and sometimes it becomes

very difficult for a firefighter to save someone’s life. It is not possible to appoint a

person to continuously observe for accidental fire where robot can do that. Fire

is a classical element that has been an equalizer on Earth. It is the effects of a

process of combustion, which is a special type of chemicals. It occurs whenever

the combustible fuel in the presence oxygen and has an extremely high

temperature become gas . Classrooms and offices most likely to find an area of

fire occurring in schools (Jakubowski, 2014). According to National Crime

Records Bureau (NCRB), it is estimated that more than 1.2 thousand deaths

have been caused because of fire accidents. These manmade or natural

disaster incidents can effects the people, property and environment.

World always trying to invent a new one. Somebody tries to find new one

and tries to modify an ordinary one to implement a technology. The advancement

of technology especially in the field of robotics human intrusion has become less

and robots are being widely used for safety purposes. Robot can be used to

detect and extinguish fires, detecting and extinguishing fires have been a major

contributor to the drop in fire fatalities and injuries over the past 35 years.

This firefighting robot has an advance in engineering student who are

interested in robotics. This project incorporates RF technology for remote

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operation and uses 8051. Robotic firefighting systems are designed with certain

tasks in mind. These include analyzing and locating fires, conducting search and

rescue, monitoring hazardous variables and the primary task of fire control and

suppression. Robots are designed to find a fire, before it rages out of control,

could one day work with fire fighters greatly reducing the risk of injury to victims.

These robots are mostly useful in industries where probability of accidental fire is

more.

Statement of the Problem

This research study aims to create a fire-fighting robot (FIRA FR4) that

could dominate a fire even in dim areas. With this, the researchers are expecting

that this innovation would be developing as todays existing fire-fighting robots.

This study aims to answer these following problems.

1.) Can the robot detect a smoke in a certain area even it is far?
2.) Did the robot's water range could be a factor for its efficiency?
3.) Does any battery that is applied to the robot would affect its

performance?

Significance of the Study

To the Community, some of our houses are made up of light materials;

this project is useful to the community to lessen the chances of causing fires.

To the Administrator, this invention will help the school heads to know

that this research is useful in school.

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 To the teachers, this research project will surely have a significant effect

to the teachers of the society. With the participation in this research would be a

big help considering that they can inspire and motivates the students.

To the students, this may serve them as reference if they will conduct

another research related to this invention.

To the researchers, this study will serve as a contribution to the reservoir

of knowledge and initiatives in the realm of science and technology. Moreover, as

they continue to try other things to be research and experiment, they have

already their experience that is why it can take very easy for them.

Scope and Delimitation

The main focus of this research project was to make a Fire Fighting Robot

from taking the existing materials in the market. The project will be using

materials from the market to produce Fire Fighting Robot.

The proposed project was also delimitated on the type of firefighting robot.

For the firefighting robot, the equipment need in this study are Arduino UNO, Fire

sensor or Flame sensor (3 Nos), Servo Motor (SG90), L293D motor Driver

module, Small Breadboard, Robot chassis with motors and wheel (any type), A

small can, Connecting wires.

The proposed project is limited only in the type of phenomenon that the

firefighting robot could generate. This project research is also delimitated on the

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materials to be used in making the robot. Some calculations, assumptions, and

selections were made as a consideration of a proper and realistic design.

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 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents a review of literature related to the research being

taken. They serve as a framework for the researcher to investigate the

effectiveness of firefighting robot.

RELATED LITERATURE

Firefighting Robot

Firefighting is an important but dangerous occupation. A firefighter must be

able to stop fire quickly and safely extinguish the fire, preventing further

damage and rescue victims to a safer location from the hazard. With

the advent of technology, humans are replaced with robots in life-threatening

situations. Technology has finally bridged the gap between firefighting

and machines allowing for a more efficient and effective method of firefighting.

Robots are designed to find a fire, before it rages out of control, could one day

work with fire fighters greatly reducing the risk of injury to victims. Firefighting

robots are actively being researched to reduce firefighter injuries and deaths as

well as increase their effectiveness on performing tasks.

To simulate the dangerous firefighting works, the Fire Fighting

Robot Contest 2010 that was organized by University Malaysia Perlis

(UNIMAP) in the first Malaysia University Robot Contest (MUROC). Fire

Fighting Robot is a game based on an imaginary firefighter rescuing the

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victims and stops the fires. The Fire Fighting Robot will autonomously move

around the house (field) as in Figure 1 to rescue the victims (table tennis ball)

as much as possible and stop the fire (standard emergency candle) in

the given time (Hasan, 2010). Due to rapid development of agent systems and

robotics, more and more chances are available for humans to interact with agent-

based robotic technology; this trend increases the importance of human-robot

interaction including human-robot communication.

Naval Research Laboratory Image caption the robot will need to perform a

variety of tasks Fire-fighting robots designed to withstand intense heat are to be

tested by the US Navy this summer. The property that white color reflects light as

compared to black color is used. The robot monitors a fire prone area using Line

Following mechanism (Blatt, 2017).

Robotic firefighting systems are designed with certain tasks in mind.

These include analyzing and locating fires, conducting search and rescue,

monitoring hazardous variables and the primary task of fire control and

suppression. Fixed firefighting robotic systems, like automatic fire sprinklers and

alarms, are used in heavily populated and hazardous areas for rapidly

extinguishing any threat. According to Eku Online, firefighting robots are still

being developed and perfected for more common use in the field. Occupational

safety professionals are working with other professionals and governmental

agencies to make the futuristic technology a reality. Those who have a passion

for defending first responders from overly dangerous situations can help shape

the future of firefighting robotics.

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 Future use of robots in firefighting will depend on the robot durability,

sufficient sensors for environment monitoring and perception, task capabilities,

cost, level of autonomy, and movement speed. Many of the robots being

designed for firefighting applications are lacking in some or all of these areas

(Lattimer, 2015).

For firefighters, cost is a significant consideration and is currently

restricting the more broad use of robotics in firefighting. However, as these robots

become more effective at conducting firefighting tasks while firefighters monitor

their performance at safe locations, robots will be used more routinely to support

firefighters.

RELATED STUDIES

The following are discussions of the related studies that give sufficient

data for the present study.

Foreign

With the advent of technology, humans are replaced with robots in life-

threatening situations. This project aimed to design a robot capable of detecting

and suppressing fires. By designing and implementing an autonomous robot

capable of detecting and extinguishing flames, disasters can be avoided with

minimal risk to human life. In this research, the researchers illustrate an

autonomous robot capable of detecting flames indoors and maneuvering towards

the flame to extinguish it with the help of carbon dioxide (Surish, 2017).

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 A Fire Fighting Robot capable of fighting a simulated household fire were

designed and built. It must be able to autonomously navigate through a modeled

floor plan while actively scanning for a flame. The robot can even act as a path

guider in normal case and as a fire extinguisher in emergency. Robots designed

to find a fire, before it rages out of control, can one day work with fire-fighters

greatly reducing the risk of injury to victims. The project will help generate

interests as well as innovations in the fields of robotics while working towards a

practical and obtainable solution to save lives and mitigate the risk of property

damage (Shash, et al., 2013).

Hasan (2010) presented the Fire Fighting Robot competition that

purposely to simulate the real-world operation of an autonomous robot to rescue

10 victims (table tennis balls) and stop 5 fires (emergency candles) in a house

within three minutes. The robot development is consisting of three elements,

which is the hardware, electronic, and programming. The robot has three DC

motor, two for driving system and another single DC motor for ball suction

subsystem and the fire blowing subsystem. Various sensors are also interfaced

with PIC16F877A as a feedback to the robot such as photoelectric sensors, fiber

optic sensor and RGB color sensors. LCD display also gives the graphical

information of the robot status to the user. For the programming part, C language

is used to determine the robot action gain from the sensors input.

Kadam, et al (2018) proposed the vehicle that is able to detect presence

of fire and extinguishing it automatically by using gas sensor and temperature

sensor. It contains gear motors and motor driver to control the movement of

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robot. Relay circuit is used to control the pump and when it will detect fire then it

will communicate with microcontroller (Arduino UNO R3) through Bluetooth

module. The proposed robot has a water jet spray, which is capable of sprinkling

water. The sprinkler can be move towards the required direction .At the time of

moving towards the source of fire it may happen that it will come across some

obstacles, then it has obstacle avoiding capability. It will provide GUI for arduino

operation using android. It detects obstacles using ultrasonic sensors up to range

of 80 m. Communication between the mobile phone and robot will take place

through Bluetooth, which will have GUI to control the movement of robot. When

mobile is connected to Bluetooth firstly it will set module name, baud rate. It is

feasible to implement Bluetooth communication between smart phones and

microcontroller. Android controlled robot can be used easily in everyday life such

as in homes, market, companies etc. The development of apps for Android in

Android SDK is easy and free of cost.

A robot capable of fighting a simulated household fire designed and built.

It must be able to autonomously navigate through a modeled floor plan while

actively scanning for a flame. The robot can even act as a path guider in normal

case and as a fire extinguisher in emergency. Robots designed to find a fire,

before it rages out of control, can one day work with fire-fighters greatly reducing

the risk of injury to victims. The project will help generate interests as well as

innovations in the fields of robotics while working towards a practical and

obtainable solution to save lives and mitigate the risk of property damage

(Mathew, et al. , 2016).

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 From this project the researcher explain the implementation and designing

of firefighting robot using web server. There are two dc motors used for motions.

There are three sensors used Temperature for detecting the increase in fire,

Smoke (gas) for detection of smoke and IR for detection of obstacle. Dc water

pump is used to pump water for extinguishing the fire. The project presented

here is based on firefighting robotic. It has term that has since been used refer to

a machine that performs works to assist people or work that humans which find

difficult or undesirable. They are capable of performing repetitive tasks more

quickly, cheaply and accurately than humans. Robotics has gained popularity

due to the advancement of many technologies of computing and non-technology

making humanoid is easier and comfortable. The firefighting robot is design to

search for a fire in a small floor plan house of the specific dimension. Mobile is

attached to the head (Sonal, et al., 2017).

Robot to perform this task in a fire-prone area, it can aid to avoid untoward

incidents or the loss of lives. This paper describes the development of an

Autonomous Fire Fighting Mobile Platform (AFFMP) that is equipped with the

basic fighting equipment that can patrol through the hazardous site via a guiding

track with the aim of early detection for fire. When the fire source is being

identified, the flame will be promptly extinguished using the fire extinguishing

system that is mounted on its platform. The patrolling movement is guided by a

set of lines with the use of a conventional line following algorithm but with the

addition of a homing algorithm. The tasks for the AFFMP once it navigates out of

the patrolling route include the obstacle avoidance, locating for more precise

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location of fire source using front flame sensor and extinguish the fire flame. To

detect for fire source, the input from flame sensors were finely-tuned in relation to

the surrounding area, external interference and the mobility of the AFFMP prior

the deployment of the platform. Development work done to date on the platform

has shown its feasibility of being an autonomous unit to monitor a prescribed

area, detect for fire and extinguish the flame (Khoon, et al. , 2012).

Cakir et al (2016) contribute a development of automation systems and to

design an unmanned fire extinguisher robot. By this purpose, an attempt was

made to develop a mobile robot in order to detect fires (simulated with fire,

candle) that could occur In a closed environment. Designing robot able to motion

by using the (rotor motor), beyond the barriers by (sensor MZ80), find the flame

by (flame sensor), and extinguish the fire by(fan), and it progresses in

conjunction with the search for the fire to control it and send message to the

mobile or tablet by using (Bluetooth HC-05) when it founded the fire and all of

this is controlled by the microcontroller (Arduino uno ). The robot can move on

the specified route without being caught in the obstacles, and conducts a fire

scan as it moves. By using the microcontroller module on it evaluates the data in

the direction of the software and performs obstacle detection, flame detection,

actuation, informing and extinguishing processes. Robot design and application

process, the design and development of the mechanical system, the design and

development of the electronic system, and the preparation of the necessary

software. During the design and development of the mechanical system; Draft

drawings, measurements, computer aided design and solid modeling programs.

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The robot designed in the study was able to detect fire sources randomly placed

in random obstacle areas and extinguished with determined fire extinguishing

systems.

More et al (2017) describe the project done to design and build a small

Fire Fighting robot, where a robot will be put in a house model where a light

candle is available and the robot should be able to detect, and extinguish the

candle in the shortest time while navigating through the house and avoiding any

obstacles in the robot's path. Researches were done in the beginning of the

project to get more information about robotics in general and to think about the

design, hardware components, and the software technique which will control the

robot. The design was inspired from the car design where 2 wheels are used in

the robot. The Robot is controlled using AT89S52 microcontroller which is

considered the brain of the robot. This robot contains Light Sensor, 2 DC motors,

and Buzzer is used in the robot's body. Two DC series motors are used to control

the rear wheels and the single front wheel is free. The role of Light sensor is to

sense the presence of light. The microcontroller controls the speed of the motors

with the help of Hbridge driver L293D. The software part of the project is the

program code written in the micro-controller to control the Fire Fighting Wireless

Controlled robot Using 8051.

Local

This study aimed to create a mobile robot that is capable of carrying and

activating a fire extinguisher. The robot comprises of a thermopile sensor capable

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of sensing nearby heat and fire and an ultrasonic sensor capable of sensing

centre-front obstructions. It also has two wheels attached to each DC motors for

its main movement. Quantitative research method was employed to assess the

robot’s overall performance. The device was evaluated by a total of thirty

respondents, who included twelve Bureau of Fire Protection personnel, eight

BDRRMC personnel, seven fire extinguisher company employees, and three UIC

fire prevention officers. The recorded data were then analyzed to come up with a

result to how well the robot performed. After a thorough research, from the

device’s functionality testing up to evaluation periods, the research concluded

that the robot was effective in performing its designated task. Improvement

factors are still considered in order for the robot to achieve optimum performance

and become a true aid for the firefighting department. Thus, the researchers

recommend the aspiring researchers and departments to further conduct studies

and observations for the improvement of the Deployable Fire-Fighting Robot

(Gerona, et al., 2014).

Hypothesis

The following are the hypothesis for this research project.

1.) The robot can detect the smoke in a certain area even it is far.
2.) The robot's water range can be a factor for its efficiency.
3.) A special battery should be applied so that it would not affect the robot's

performance.

Definition of Terms

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 To give the reader a clear understanding of this study, the researcher

conceptually and operationally defined the following terms:

Robot- Conceptually, it is a machine that resembles a living creature in being

capable of moving independently and performing complex action (Merriam

Dictionary). Operationally, it is the design that uses in future research.

Fire Sensor- Conceptually it is an flame detector is a sensor designed to detect

and respond to the presence of a flame or fire, allowing flame detection.

Responses to a detected flame depend on the installation, but can include

sounding an alarm, deactivating a fuel line, and activating a fire suppression

system (Wikipedia). Operationally, it is the variable needed in this study. Also, it

detects the fire and prevent it.

Conceptual Framework

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

 Robot  Firefighting

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework

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 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

In this chapter, the research methods are presented such as the research

procedures, materials used, design and architecture, testing and documentation,

and the research project location.

Research Procedure

In making “Fira FR4” firefighting robot, the first type needed in this project

is the Arduino which is the main brain of project, but in-order to sense fire we will

use the Fire sensor module (flame sensor). Then, the IR Receiver (Photodiode)

which is used to detect the fire will be received by the IR receiver on the sensor

module. Then, the Op-amp will use to check in voltage across the IR receiver, so

that if a fire is detected the output pin (DO) will give OV(LOW) and if there is no

fire the output pin will be 5V (HIGH). Place three sensors in three directions of

the robot to sense in which direction the fire is burning. Then, detect the direction

of the fire the motors use to move near the fire by driving our motors through the

L293D module. When near a fire we have to put it out using water. Using a small

container, a 5V pump is also place in the container and the whole container is

place on top of a servo motor so that the direction will control in which the water

has to be sprayed.

To set up pumping system the code will remain same, use a small

aluminum can to set the pump inside it and poured water inside it. Then,

assemble the whole can on top of a servomotor to control the direction of water.

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 Fix the servo fin to the bottom using got glue and fix the servomotor with

chassis using nut and bolts. Simply place the container on top of the motor and

trigger the pump inside it to pump water outside through the tube. The whole

container can be rotated using the servo to control the direction of the water.

In connection connect all the connections for uploading the program or

assemble the bot completely and then proceed with the connection. In

programming Arduino, if no fire is there we ask the motors to remain stop by

making all the pins high. If there is any fire, we can ask the robot to move in that

direction by rotating the respective motor. Once it reaches the fire, the left and

right sensor will not detect the fire as it would be standing straight ahead of the

fire. Use the variable named “fire” that would execute the function to put off the

fire. Once the variable fire becomes true, the firefighting robot arduino code will

execute the put_off_fire function until the fire is put off. This will be done using

the code below. Inside the put_off_fire() we just have to stop the robot by making

all the pins high. Then turn on the pump to push water outside the container,

while this is done we can also use the servomotor to rotate the container so that

the water is split all over uniformly.

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Use either metal plate board or plywood board. Drill out holes for connecting motor clamps.

Place the motor to the chassis with the help of clamp and connect wheels.

Short the wires of the motor on the same side such that they rotate in the same direction.

Connect each motor pair to the motor driver.

Place the flame sensors in the front side of chassis 5-6cm apart, such that the sensor in

middle is placed at the center of chassis.

Sensitivity of the center sensor is reduced to detect fire 30cm away. Digital outputs of

sensors are connected to pin 2,3,4 of the arduino board.

Sensitivity of the center sensor is reduced to detect fire 30cm away. Digital outputs of

sensors are connected to pin 2,3,4 of the arduino board.

Connect an led to pin 10 so that it glows when fire is detected. Inputs to the motors on left

side is obtained from pins 5 and 6 and that for motors on right side is obtained from pin 7

and 8

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Pin 11 used to trigger the valve or actuator( pin 11 and12 for cam arrangement).
 Fire extinguisher must be place on the top of the chassis, inclined at an angle so that it

release towards fire.

Adjust sensitivity of the center sensor and position or angle of the extinguisher to match the

triggering.

Figure 1. Research Procedure Flowchart

Materials Used

The following materials are have been gathered and utilized by the

researchers, which are used for making of FIRA FR4, a fire-fighting robot.

Table 1.
Materials Used in Fire-Fighting Robot

Materials Picture Materials Picture

Small
Arduino UNO
Breadboard

Robot chassis
Fire sensor or
with motors
Flame sensor
and wheel
(3 Nos)
(any type)

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 Servo Motor
A small can
(SG90)

Connecting
L293D motor
wires
Driver module

Research Design

On the design of the desired fire-fighting robot appearance, the

researchers take time to dig much deeper ideas on how the project will look like.

Prior to the proposed research project, the configuration and the design of the

fire-fighting robot are carefully planned to be ready for the next part of the project

which is the construction of the scheme. Since the fire-fighting robot are made by

recyclable materials, the researchers strategically made a layout of the simple

yet visually appealing appearance. The design of the robot named FIRA FR4 is

shown in the Figure 2 and the circuit is shown in Figure 3 below.

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 Figure 2. Recycle Fire-Fighting Robot (FIRA FR4)

Figure 3. Fire-Fighting Robot Circuit Design

Gathering of Data

After which the project is fully made, it took series of test, operation and

evaluation for further specifications. The dry run of the research project is the

researcher’s way of perceptive to determine the project’s usage. It is to ensure

that the research project is totally functional and completely operating with

accord to research objective. The research evidence is inscribed through pictures

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and documentations through the entire making of the research project. Every

device will have three (3) trials to check its affectivity. All the data gathered will be

listed on the table below.

Table 2.
Testing of the Range of fire detection

Result
Range
Trial (Operating or Not
(Water)
Operating)
1.
2.
3.

Table 3.
Testing of the Range of water from firefighting robot

Result
Range
Trial (Operating or Not
(Fire)
Operating)
1.

2.

3.

Research Project Location

The making of the research project design, purchasing of the materials to

be used, the making of the fire-fighting robot (FIRA FR4) as well as the testing of

the research project’s operation and functionality and the duration of the entire

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research project are all conducted at Fatima National High School, Fil-Am

Avenue, Barangay Fatima, General Santos City.

Figure 4. Map of the Fatima

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