The APU Team from the Center for Research and Development of loT (CREDIT) has once again achieved a remarkable feat by winning the Gold Award at the 33rd International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (ITEX 2022). This time with the project of a Firefighting Drone capable of autonomous flight, demonstrated their dedication to creating innovative solutions in the field.

Led by Rabah Anakkachery and comprising Mechatronics Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and Computer Engineering students from CREDIT at APU, the team invested 12 months in meticulously constructing this winning drone. Their mentor, Ir. Narendran Ramasenderan, expressed his enthusiasm for the project’s objective of minimizing harm to civilians and property by providing an autonomous drone solution with laser-guided sensors and artificial intelligence to aid in evacuation and firefighting strategies.

By recognizing the unique advantages of drones in reaching inaccessible areas swiftly, the team focused on developing an autonomous flying platform that could enhance information gathering and surveying for firefighting operations. The Firefighting Drones act as scouts, deploying fire extinguisher retardant balls and utilizing an Al swarm model with cloud analytics of loT sensor data to help strategize the best routes to save and evacuate victims of the fire. The coordination that the technology offers with manual firefighters’ ground stations maximized the drone’s firefighting capabilities, and increased efficiency in helping them handle fires.

APU’s team was honored with the gold award for their ability to map out large-scale fire incidents, coordinate firefighting efforts between humans and drones, and demonstrate creativity in remotely extinguishing fires from a safe distance. The guidance and support provided by Prof. Dr. Ir. Ts. Vines Thiruchelvam and Mr. Krishna Ravinchandra were also acknowledged and appreciated for their consistent support for this winning trio.