Abstract:

This was one of the exciting projects, among all the projects I’ve done. This not only covered major learning outcomes of this class, but also enhanced my creative skills. It is the final project of the class, where I was assigned to a group and was asked to come up with an engineering innovation. I got to use many of the skills I picked from this class in The creation of the new engineering product, and writing a technical description for it. This is the final project where all that I’ve learned have been projected onto this final proposal, and could give you an insight of how I developed as a writer

Final Project Written Proposal: Search and Rescue Robot

Introduction: 

             Fires are one of the most common natural disasters that can erupt spontaneously and spread rapidly, resulting in costly damages. These disasters have led humans to find solutions to mitigate and stop fires as efficiently as possible. In the early days, communities would carry out buckets of water to help extinguish fires. Today, humans can breathe a little easier knowing that fire trucks are there to assist in taking out infernos within minutes with the help of firefighters.

As the technology is advancing, humans every day are working hard to find ways to reduce human effort in every aspect of our daily lives and one of the most efficient ways of reducing human effort is through the invention of machines, so when it comes to the scenario that we are currently focusing (Fire incidents), there has been a machine developed for this, which was launched on October 13th, 2022, It’s called, Thermite Rs, this robot was specifically built for extinguishing fires, and it’s still development. However, the main priority in a fire incident is not to extinguish the fire but rather rescuing the victims that are stuck inside the structure, the robot that the fire department of the United States have today does not fulfill this main need, it does not reduce the risk of firefighter losing their lives, you can learn more about the current robot below, so that you may understand the need of a search and rescue robot, especially in a fire fighting accident.

Current Product: Thermite Robot RS 

FIG(1) – Thermite Rs1

FIG(2) – Thermite Rs3

The innovation is based on these two products; the machines you see above are firefighting robots, they are designed to extinguish fires as well as clear out obstacles, so that it could decrease the risk of firefighters hurting themselves when they get too close.

The Thermite Rs1, manufactured by Howe & Howe, was one of the first editions that was introduced to the public to combat fires more efficiently and facilitate the jobs of firefighters. The robot is extremely agile and as well as maneuverable. According to their site, the robot has a camera stationed at the belly of the robot that allows for the operator to visually inspect the area and analyze the situation. Once a position is taken, the robot has a capability of releasing 200 psi of fire extinguishing compounds. Being at 77’’ in length, 44’’ in width and 64’’ tall, it is a fairly packed machine that can pack a punch. 

Fairly recently, in October of this year, Thermite Rs3 was announced to the public. Purchased by the LAFD foundation for $277,000 for the LA fire department became the first firefighting robot in the U.S. Based on the picture, it is a huge step forward from its predecessor, having a V-shaped plow to move large sums of debris such as cars. The large pump at the top is capable of taking out fires from a safe range of 300-500 meters. 

Based on the current products available in the market, our team decided to make improvements that could further ease in taking out fires. During the first few days of discussion, we concluded that there should be some sort of tag duo robot that could help trapped people get out of fires with the help of a robot. We designed a robot that is a tank shaped like the ones shown above and has the capability of carrying people back to safety. With this tag team robots, it will make search and rescue procedures safer having the capability of sensing humans through the thick wall of smoke and also being capable of withstanding large amounts of heat for a period by having heat-resistant walls to protect the chassis of the robot. 

Our Innovation:

                                    You might have already understood what is the main idea behind our innovation, and why is it necessary; Now in this section you will find out what, and How? Aspects of our innovation.

What exactly is the Search and Rescue Robot, and its functionality?

This robot is designed to conduct search and rescue for the victims that are inside the structure that’s on fire. We all know that the main priority in a fire accident is to save the lives that are stuck inside the building, and simultaneously extinguish the fire. The idea of this new innovation is so that it can work alongside with the robot that the US Fire department currently possess, the Thermite RS, the way both of these robots would work together is that, the innovation would immediately start conducting search and rescue as soon as it reaches the site, while it’s working the other robot could extinguish the fire, with its powerful water gun.

We already know the functionality of Thermite RS, and how it goes about doing its job as the fire extinguisher; Now let’s talk about the functionality of the new innovation. The search and rescue robot is designed to withstand high temperatures for a very long period, it’s outer metal body makes it impossible for fire to penetrate in one touch. This robot when compared to Thermite RS, is very lightweight which makes it much faster, it also has no boundaries when traveling, it can move as far as it needs to complete the search and rescue. It has caterpillar treads which allow it to walk over any terrain, and it’s completely remote controlled. This reduces the number of firefighters losing their lives up to 80-90% of the time, though there are some cases in which the firefighters have to go into action. 

Functionality and Major components

Let’s see the major components of the new innovation.

1. Aluminum & sulfur batteries
2. Mechanical tentacles on each side
3. Panoramic camera
4. X4M300 sensory camera
5. Electric Motor

Below is the step-by-step process of how this robot works.

Step 1: When the robot reaches the incident sit, it uses the X4M300 infrared camera to scan the building, the output display of this camera is implanted in the remote which is held by the firefighter. 

Step 2: If there are people inside the building, the robot, by the help of the metal nose, could easily break the walls and remove the obstacles from its way and safely locate and approach the victims. 

Step 3:   Here is the special part of this robot, this robot has a fire-resistant compartment built inside of it, when it reaches the victims, the controller of the robot could use a switch to open the door to the compartment and the victims can climb easily inside of it.

Step 4: When all the victims around that area have safely entered the compartment, the robot will quickly scan up to 30 feet radius around and safely take the victims out using the shortest route around.

The Aluminum and sulfur batteries in this robot are specifically used to prevent explosion, unlike lithium batteries, sulfur and aluminum batteries can withstand high temperature environments.

And the usage of mechanical tentacles here is to help the robot whenever it loses its axis, and make it stabilize, basically it prevents it from tipping off. 

Design: 

Back View

Right-Angle View

           Left-Angle View

This is not the most accurate design of the innovation, but it can clearly give you an image in mind when you read the functionality of the innovation. As mentioned before, the design of the new innovation is close to current project, the changes we made here is that it does not possess the water gun on top which makes it less heavy and increases its speed, it also has a door like structure in the back, from which the people inside the building could climb inside. 

Conclusion:

            In conclusion, machines are supposed to reduce human intervention in any way possible, especially during harmful situations, like fire accidents. The technology that Fire Department of the United States posses today, seem to be incomplete, so the idea of Our new innovation is to fill this void, A search and Rescue robot built especially in cases of fire accidents, which can work alongside the current product, Thermite Rs, where the new innovation can conduct search and rescue and the other can extinguish the fire. This innovation reduces the risk of firefighters losing their lives.

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Howe & Howe, Thermite Rs Robot, Thermite, https://www.howeandhowe.com/civil/thermite , October 2022