Warehouse Firefighting Rover

Abstract

This paper presents the design and implementation of an autonomous firefighting rover aimed at improving fire response capabilities in hazardous, high-risk, and inaccessible environments, such as warehouses, industrial plants, and remote areas. The rover is engineered to operate independently, leveraging a suite of flame and smoke sensors for early fire detection, alongside a camera module for real-time video monitoring. These sensors work in coordination with a microcontroller-based control system, which governs the rover’s movements, fire detection logic, and suppression mechanisms. One of the key innovations in this system is its integration with cloud-based wireless communication, enabling seamless remote access and control. Through this IoT-enabled interface, users can monitor the rover’s environment in real time, send operational commands, and receive alerts on fire incidents from any location. All system data is stored and managed via the cloud, allowing for post-incident analysis and continuous performance optimization. By automating fire detection and suppression, the rover significantly reduces the need for human intervention in dangerous situations, thereby minimizing the risk to life. Its ability to navigate complex terrains and deliver a rapid, precise response to fire outbreaks makes it a valuable asset for modern fire safety infrastructure, advancing both efficiency and reliability in emergency management.

Introduction

Fire safety in warehouses is critical due to the high risk of damage and danger to lives. Traditional fire protection systems mainly rely on basic sensors that alert personnel but require manual firefighting, which is slow and hazardous. This project presents an advanced solution using IoT-enabled sensors and an autonomous firefighting robot (Rover) to detect fires in real time, pinpoint their exact location, and automatically suppress them. The system integrates flame and smoke sensors, cameras, motors for mobility, and cloud connectivity for remote monitoring and control.

The Rover uses an ESP32 microcontroller and ESP32-CAM for navigation, fire detection, and video streaming, combined with water-based fire suppression through a servo-controlled nozzle. It navigates complex environments autonomously with ultrasonic obstacle avoidance. Software programming allows remote commands and image uploads to a server, facilitating real-time response and reducing risks to human firefighters.

The literature review supports the design choices by highlighting advances in autonomous firefighting robotics, IoT fire safety applications, sensor fusion, obstacle avoidance, and cloud-connected systems. Testing shows the Rover can monitor multiple warehouse zones, detect fires quickly, and initiate suppression autonomously, enhancing safety and protecting property in hazardous industrial environments.

Conclusion

The Firefighting Rover is a major innovation in automated fire response, combining sensors, microcontrollers, motors, a water pump, and cloud connectivity to detect and extinguish fires autonomously. It navigates obstacles, operates in hazardous areas, and minimizes human risk. Real-time monitoring, precise targeting, and cloud-based control ensure rapid and efficient fire suppression. The system is cost-effective, low-maintenance, and adaptable to industrial and remote environments. Future improvements may include AI-based fire type recognition, advanced sensors, swarm coordination, solar power, and 5G communication. These advancements will enhance performance, sustainability, and responsiveness, making the Rover a vital tool in modern fire safety management.

References

[1] John J. Craig, Introduction to Robotics: Mechanics and Control, Pearson Education, 2004. [2] T. Braunl, Embedded Robotics: Mobile Robot Design and Applications with Embedded Systems, Springer, 2006. [3] Khalil, W., Dombre, E., Modeling, Identification and Control of Robots, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002. [4] K. S. Fu, R. C. Gonzalez, and C. S. G. Lee, Robotics: Control, Sensing, Vision, and Intelligence, McGraw-Hill, 1987. [5] IEEE Conference Papers on Fire Detection and Robotic Firefighters, 2017–2022. [6] Arduino Official Documentation, www.arduino.cc (Accessed 2025). [7] Research articles from International Journal of Robotics Research on fire-resistant autonomous robots. [8] Datasheets of Flame Sensor, Smoke Sensor (MQ-2), Ultrasonic Sensor (HC-SR04), and ESP32 WiFi Module. [9] Technical blogs on IoT and cloud integration for firefighting systems, from sources like Medium and ResearchGate. [10] YouTube Tutorials and Maker Websites for DIY firefighting robot concepts and real-time navigation syst

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Hemalatha G., Abinaya G. P., Dharneesh B., Rakshitha D., Sivachalapathy V., Uma Maheshwari S.. 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.