Research Foundation News

June 2, 2016

Purdue technology could increase battery life in firefighting robots, help save firefighters' lives

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – From 2005 to 2014, an average of about 83 firefighters died while on duty each year, and 91 firefighters died while on duty in 2015, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

A Purdue technology is being developed that could help increase the battery life in firefighting robots, allowing them to operate for longer periods of time in life-threatening areas that aren't safe for firefighters.   

J. Eric Dietz, professor of computer technology in Purdue's Department of Computer and Information Technology and director of the Purdue Homeland Security Institute in Discovery Park; Eric T. Matson, an associate professor of computer and information technology; and Jeongwan Kim, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Computer and Information Technology, have developed an automatic t-valve system that can be used in fire hose systems that would allow better mobility and increased battery life for firefighting robots.

"Firefighter deaths are, unfortunately, a common occurrence but many researchers continually study solutions to help decrease the number of deaths, and one solution being developed is the use of firefighting robots," Dietz said. "Firefighting robots not only are able to replace firefighters in life-threatening situations, they also can extinguish a fire faster by getting closer to it, withstanding up to 1,292 degrees Fahrenheit. The robots are fitted with an infrared camera on the front of the units and are controlled by a wireless controller, so someone can control the robots, seeing everything the robots see, while standing over 300 feet away."

Matson said that while robots are a good solution, they still have some limitations.

"A typical firefighting robot weighs around 460 pounds and uses a 24V/40Ah battery. If the robot was moving by itself it could probably last up to the advertised battery life of eight hours, but since it has to pull a 200-foot water-filled fire hose it ends up moving at around 4km per hour and the battery lasts only 1 1/2 hours," he said. "These limitations that cause short operating times end up causing the robot to not be very efficient or very useful if the battery dies during the middle of a dangerous fire."

Dietz, Matson and Kim, have developed an automatic t-valve system that manages the amount of water in a fire hose to improve the energy efficiency of firefighting robots.

"Since the heaviness of the water in the hose is the main culprit of why the robot's battery doesn't last, we have developed an automatic t-valve system that removes water from the fire hose whenever the robot moves to a new location," Kim said. "It takes significantly less energy to pull an empty fire hose compared to a water-filled hose. Integrating this system in the firefighting robot will increase the robot's mobility, to get closer to the fires, and its battery life, allowing it to operate for longer times in places that wouldn't be safe for any crews."

Dietz said that not only will their technology decrease energy use, it also will decrease costs.

"Because the robots are battery powered our technology will help decrease the amount of times users would have to replace the battery and provide maintenance," he said. "Because the robot can go into places that firefighters can't, fires could be extinguished at faster rates, lessening the amount of property damage, saving costs there, too."

The automatic t-valve device includes a wireless receiver and controls so that when the robot wants to move, whoever is using the controller to operate the robot can either open the valve to allow water to pass through the fire hose when it's at a place to extinguish flames, or discharge the valve, which will block water from the hose, allowing for a lighter load when moving.

"This really changes the way fires and the safety of our firefighters are addressed. It usually takes around four to five firefighters to pull out a fire hose but with our device, one robot can do the work of those five people," Matson said. "Our technology, used in conjunction with the firefighting robot, has the potential to save lives."

Matson said that firefighting robots are not widely used or produced because of their expensive price tag, which is around $100,000 to $200,000 per robot.

"We don't have any plans to buy the robot because of its cost but I am at the beginning stages of developing my own robotics company," he said. "I'm currently developing a robot design that will implement our patented t-valve device to create a whole, fully functional system that would cost less to build, thus costing less for fire departments who may want to put them into use."

Dietz and Matson said they are currently seeking funding opportunities or partnerships with robotics companies to further develop and build a prototype of their technology.

Previous research on the automatic t-valve system and firefighting robot was done using a prototype of the robot provided by the South Korean government, but since its return the researchers have been using a simulation system to prove their technologies' effectiveness. The researchers are developing a model that solves many of the identified issues.

The automatic t-valve system technology has been patented through the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization.

About Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization

The Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university's academic activities. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2014 Incubator Network of the Year from the National Business Incubation Association for its work in entrepreneurship. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org. For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Office of Technology Commercialization at innovation@prf.org


Purdue Research Foundation contact: Hillary Henry, 765-588-3586, hkhenry@prf.org

Sources:  J. Eric Dietz, 765-494-9793, jedietz@purdue.edu
Eric Matson, 765-494-8259, ematson@purdue.edu
Jeongwan Kim, kjw810313@gmail.com


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