Students develop mobile app to send fire alerts via phones
The mobile phone can now notify its owner when a fire breaks out in his house through an Internet-based fire alarm system developed by senior high school students from the Mapua University.
The system, dubbed as "FLAME" which stands for, “Fire Luminosity and Multisensory Equipment,” is a device installed in the house that uses heat signature mapping and a multi-sensor system to detect if there is a fire, and then notifies the homeowner through an app.
The device and the app were developed by Mapua students through funding assistance from the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) under the Young Innovators Program (YIP).
Project FLAME was developed to reduce the number of casualties and property destroyed by fire by providing faster information to authorities.
Fire alarm system
The students used a thermal imaging camera, a current sensor and a gas sensor which are connected to the Internet. Using the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, the developed system is able to monitor heat irregularities and other fire hazards using video image analysis to create an accurate early detection system.
With its double trigger feature, accuracy is secured because it will only alarm when a heat irregularity is shown in the heat map and a fire hazard sensor is triggered.
Connected with the equipment is a mobile application that allows data to be viewed from an Android device via Bluetooth.
Through the app, the user shall be notified of fire hazard alerts which shall also be sent to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) for a faster fire incident response.
Unlike existing fire systems, FLAME is capable of sensing multiple fire hazards and prevents false alarms by autonomously analyzing the heat signatures shown in the heat map.
The device will not only increase the efficiency of fire prevention but will also improve the reliability and response time of firemen through its alert system.