These engineering students create fire alarm system set to benefit everyone
NEW DELHI: Two engineering students have developed a smoke detector and fire alarm system for the visually challenged and individuals with hearing disorders. The device, in case of emergencies like, fire and earthquake can guide both able-bodied as well as people with special needs, to safety.
The device can also assist rescue teams during search and rescue operations. The creators of this possibly life-saving device are Ujjawal Gupta and Sameep Khandelwal, both of whom are B.Tech students at the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES).
While speaking to this newspaper, the two explained what triggered them to take up fire as their subject of research and eventually led them to come up with the device. Citing the NCRB report that 90 per cent of disasters are due to fire which have claimed thousands of lives, Gupta said: “We come from a background of fire and safety engineering.
Prasad Yadav and Ujjwal Gupta. (Photo | EPS)
We were studying data about fire accidents when we thought about those who have a special disability... We thought about how we could help them if they ever came across such a dire situation. We spoke to our mentor and got the project started.” Khandelwal said that the device was built as an integrated system comprising the detector and a watch.
“It can benefit senior citizens as well and can also be used in underground confined spaces. It is an integrated system of two parts. Whenever there is smoke or fire, the detector sends a signal to those wearing the wristwatch within a second. After the detection of fire, the watch vibrates continuously. Anyone can identify by the vibration that there is a fire,” he said. They said that the alarm also provides a signal pointing to the exit (from the LED light installed in it) along with sending information to the emergency control room about the occupant’s presence by pressing a push-button on the wristwatch.
'It helps an external team trace the location and allows them to reach the individual', they said. They worked under the mentorship of their teacher Bikarama Prasad Yadav, who said the system was unique and was one which had been tested under multiple circumstances.