R.O.F.T.: Remotely Operated Fire Tender

Remotely Operated Fire Tender (ROFT)

ROFT is a four wheeled, teleoperated fire tender. It is fitted with an adjustable, fire tending nozzle, which can be deployed at a distance of 50 meters to douse out dangerous chemical, gasoline and LPG fires.

The vehicle weighs 50 Kg including equipment, and can unroll a dry fire hose. The vehicle has two drive wheels and two castors. The drive wheels are powered by two independent DC motors. When both wheels are driven at the same speed, the vehicle moves in a straight line. Any differential in drive speed result in a turn.

A fifty meter lat umbolical cable connects the vehicle to the operator. The motors are controlled by a specially ruggedised PWM controller and a two-axes joystick located at the operator base station. A pair of toggle switches are used to reverse the motors.

Project Team: From L to R: S. Sen, S. Mukherjee, R.M. Jha.
The fire tending nozzle is mounted on a tilt arm, powered by another DC motor. The motor can tilt the nozzle through 60 deg to -10 deg vertical. The vehicle is fitted with a night vision CCD camera and an UHF transmitter. The visual data can be viewed by the operator through a standard TV receiver. This enables the operator to locate the source of the source of the fire through the smoke which normally obstructs vision. Optionally a microphone can be fitted to reproduce the sound.

A halogen head-lamp is fitted to provide visibility. A hoooter and side flashers have been provided to alert personnel in the vicinity. The system can be powered by a 12 to 18 volts automobile battery either from the fire engine directly or from a generator aboard the fire engine.

Special care has been to protect motors and equipment from water. Although, fire proofing has not been attempted, the nozzle has two modes of operation, the jet mode and the envelope mode. In the envelope mode the water forms an enveloping spray which protects the vehicle and on board equipment while dousing out the fire.

Susmit Sen, Centre for Robotics, I.I.T. Kanpur. March 1997

Project Team: Sudipto Mukherjee, Susmit Sen, R.M. Jha

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