A Review Paper on Fire Fighter Robot

Abstract

Fire fighter robots are emerging as crucial tools for enhancing fire safety and rescue operations. Designed to operate in hazardous environments where human lives are at risk, these robots integrate advanced sensing, navigation, and firefighting mechanisms. This paper provides a comprehensive review of fire fighter robots, discussing their design, functionality, key technologies, current trends, and future prospects.

Introduction

Fire incidents pose serious risks to life and infrastructure. Traditional firefighting methods expose humans to danger. Firefighting robots, which can autonomously or remotely detect and extinguish fires, offer a safer and more efficient solution—especially in complex or hazardous environments.

II. Literature Review

Recent developments in IoT and embedded systems have enabled autonomous fire-fighting robots, particularly using Arduino platforms. These systems aim to detect fires early, act quickly, and reduce human involvement in risky conditions.

III. System Design

A. Hardware Components

• Arduino UNO/Nano: Controls the robot and processes sensor data.

• Flame Sensor: Detects infrared light from fire.

• Motor Driver (L298N): Controls DC motors for movement.

• Water Pump: Sprays water to extinguish fires.

• Power Supply: 9V (Arduino) and 12V (motors/pump) batteries.

• Chassis: Mobile platform for terrain navigation.

B. Working Principle

• Flame is detected → Arduino signals motor to move toward fire → Water pump activates to extinguish.

C. Software Stack

• Programmed using Arduino IDE.

IV. Results

? Performance Highlights

• Detection Range: Effective up to 80–100 cm indoors.

• Response Time: Fire extinguished within 3–5 seconds after detection.

• Water Pump: Successfully doused small fires like candles and paper.

• Navigation: Basic; no advanced obstacle avoidance.

• Power Efficiency: Operated 30–40 minutes per battery cycle.

V. Discussion

???? Strengths

• Fast, autonomous fire response.

• Low-cost and effective prototype.

• Demonstrated the feasibility of an IoT-enabled safety system.

?? Limitations

1. Short Detection Range – Ineffective beyond ~1 meter.

2. False Positives – Bright light sometimes triggered sensors.

3. No Obstacle Avoidance – Couldn't reroute if blocked.

4. Limited Water Supply – Suitable only for small-scale fires.

Conclusion

In this project, an Arduino-based Fire Fighter Robot was successfully designed, built, and tested to autonomously detect and extinguish small fires. Using simple components such as a flame sensor, DC motors, a motor driver, and a water pump, the robot demonstrated quick response times and effective fire suppression in controlled conditions. The robot could detect flames within a reasonable distance, move toward the fire, and activate the water pump to extinguish it — all without human intervention. The system proved to be cost-effective, simple to implement, and suitable for basic fire safety applications in homes, offices, and small industrial setups. Although the prototype showed promising results, certain limitations such as restricted detection range, absence of obstacle avoidance, and limited water supply were identified. Addressing these challenges in future versions could make the system even more reliable and versatile. Overall, this project successfully validates the potential of low-cost, Arduino-based fire fighting robots for early fire detection and control, thereby enhancing safety and reducing the risk to human life.

References

[1] Arduino Project Hub, Fire Fighting Robot using Arduino https://forum.arduino.cc/t/firefighter-robotic-car-using-arduino-uno/1184578 [2] Quartz Components, Build Fire Fighting Robot using Arduino. https://quartzcomponents.com/blogs/electronics-projects/fire-fighting-robot-using-arduino [3] TechaTronics, Fire Fighter Robot using Arduino. https://techatronic.com/fire-fighter-robot-using-arduino-fire-fighting-robot/ [4] ResearchGate, Self-directed fire fighting robot using internet of things and machine learning. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Block-Diagram-of-Fire-Fighting-Robot-The-Arduino-software-runs-on-different-platforms_fig2_317610964

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Ved Prakash, Om Prakash Sao, Shubham Kumar Sahu, Prof. Sonia Wadhwa. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.