PROJECT FIREBOT
Description
The Brazilian “Museu Nacional” had housed 200 years of Brazilian culture before burning down in September of 2018, all of which is lost forever, being compared to the burning of the Library of Alexandria in 48 BC. Fire detection and prevention is usually either untargeted, as with sprinklers, or reliant on human intervention.
The project “FireBot” aimed to use advanced robotics and intelligent algorithms to automate fire prevention by having specially-designed robots, called “FireBots”, stationed on-site. The FireBots navigate towards detected fires using thermal cameras and extinguish them using gas, preventing water or foam damage.
Using the Robot Operating System (ROS) on the Turtlebot 2, a RealSense R200 depth camera, a RP-LiDAR A2 Laser scanner and mapping algorithms like Google Cartographer and Gmapping, the robot creates a map of the building while being setup. When a fire is detected, it can use that map and SLAM algorithms in order to autonomously navigate, using the map as a guide and avoiding uncharted obstacles.If connected to a WiFi network, controllers can monitor the cameras and override the robots’ systems, if needed. Survivor detection is also possible due to the thermal camera.
FireBots can significantly reduce response time, as, for example, according to the fire-prevention advisor at the Landesmuseum Wiesbaden, the fire brigade would need at least 10 minutes to arrive at the centrally-located building, meaning that after setting up equipment and navigating the museum, the flames would have had ample time to manifest into a larger fire.Deployed behind false walls, in existing cleaning cupboards or integrated into benches, the bots, if efficiently spread, would arrive long before the fire brigade could, likely extinguishing the smaller flames or at least preventing the rapid spreading and expansion.
Polishing this prototype into a fully-fledged product could potentially save invaluable buildings and objects or even, if made cheaper, be stationed in private homes.
The project “FireBot” aimed to use advanced robotics and intelligent algorithms to automate fire prevention by having specially-designed robots, called “FireBots”, stationed on-site. The FireBots navigate towards detected fires using thermal cameras and extinguish them using gas, preventing water or foam damage.
Using the Robot Operating System (ROS) on the Turtlebot 2, a RealSense R200 depth camera, a RP-LiDAR A2 Laser scanner and mapping algorithms like Google Cartographer and Gmapping, the robot creates a map of the building while being setup. When a fire is detected, it can use that map and SLAM algorithms in order to autonomously navigate, using the map as a guide and avoiding uncharted obstacles.If connected to a WiFi network, controllers can monitor the cameras and override the robots’ systems, if needed. Survivor detection is also possible due to the thermal camera.
FireBots can significantly reduce response time, as, for example, according to the fire-prevention advisor at the Landesmuseum Wiesbaden, the fire brigade would need at least 10 minutes to arrive at the centrally-located building, meaning that after setting up equipment and navigating the museum, the flames would have had ample time to manifest into a larger fire.Deployed behind false walls, in existing cleaning cupboards or integrated into benches, the bots, if efficiently spread, would arrive long before the fire brigade could, likely extinguishing the smaller flames or at least preventing the rapid spreading and expansion.
Polishing this prototype into a fully-fledged product could potentially save invaluable buildings and objects or even, if made cheaper, be stationed in private homes.
Technologies Used
