Abstract

Robotics finds application in firefighting services. This work considers a robot that is able to detect fire and extinguish it. The robot operates automatically, avoiding obstacles, and at the same time, it is capable of detecting, tracking, and extinguishing flames. To achieve the best performance with an effective implementation, a modular design strategy was adopted, where the robot is divided into a number of logical modules based on functionality. The design consists of five main modules: the master controller, motor control, proximity control, fire detection and fire extinguishing module. Each module is associated with appropriate sensors and actuators. The information from various sensors and key hardware elements is processed via the PIC18F452 microcontroller. This is then interfaced with the master controller which coordinates and schedules the task of the entire robotic system. The performance evaluation indicates the robot’s capability to detect and extinguish flames, hence, this work will generate interest as well as innovations in the field of robotics while working towards practical and obtainable solutions to save lives and mitigate the risk of property damage.