Autonomous Fire Fighting with a UAV-UGV Team at MBZIRC 2020

TL;DR

This paper presents autonomous UAV and UGV systems for firefighting, utilizing LiDAR and thermal imaging for localization and fire tracking, demonstrated successfully at MBZIRC 2020.

Contribution

Introduction of integrated autonomous UAV-UGV firefighting systems using LiDAR and thermal sensors, with real-world validation at MBZIRC 2020.

Findings

Successful autonomous fire extinguishing at MBZIRC 2020

Effective LiDAR-based localization in GNSS-restricted environments

Insights into system performance and lessons learned

Abstract

Every day, burning buildings threaten the lives of occupants and first responders trying to save them. Quick action is of essence, but some areas might not be accessible or too dangerous to enter. Robotic systems have become a promising addition to firefighting, but at this stage, they are mostly manually controlled, which is error-prone and requires specially trained personal. We present two systems for autonomous firefighting from air and ground we developed for the Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC) 2020. The systems use LiDAR for reliable localization within narrow, potentially GNSS-restricted environments while maneuvering close to obstacles. Measurements from LiDAR and thermal cameras are fused to track fires, while relative navigation ensures successful extinguishing. We analyze and discuss our successful participation during the MBZIRC 2020, present further experiments, and provide insights into our lessons learned from the competition.