WSN-based fire detection and escape system with multi-modal feedback

Abstract

Disasters do happen in our lives and we cannot avoid them but we can prepare ourselves so that when a disaster occurs, damage can be minimized. One such disaster can be the event of fire. In this paper, we have proposed a wireless sensor network based solution that can be used to detect fire, set-off a fire alarm and identify safe evacuation routes from the building. In order to accomplish this goal, we have designed a distributed algorithm for systematically deployed sensor nodes in a building. Then the obtained information about the safe evacuation routes is communicated to the occupants of the building using multimodal (visual + audio) feedback. In order to evaluate proposed system we have developed a simulation using Active Tcl and ns2. Front end of the simulation is designed using Active Tcl that can be used to sketch the blue-print of a building, place sensor nodes and set fire. At the back-end safe route identification algorithm is implemented in ns2 that is feed with the deployed network topology to identify safe routes for the occupants of the building. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.