The Firefighter Robot League — Finding and Extinguishing the Flame

The firefighter robot league is one of the oldest and most popular student leagues, run at IranOpen and many domestic events. The scenario is simple and tangible: a candle burns in one room of a small building. Unaided, the robot must search the building, find the flame, extinguish it and — in many versions — return to the start.

Why it is a great starting league

Because it is a complete, comprehensible mission that needs no expensive technology. In one project the student meets several core robotics concepts at once:

Indoor navigation — wall or line following to search the rooms
Target detection — sensing the flame
Physical action — extinguishing it
Return — remembering the route

How the robot finds the flame

A flame emits infrared and ultraviolet light, and that optical signature makes it detectable. The usual tool is a flame sensor tuned to that spectrum. More precise robots use several sensors at different angles so they learn not only that a flame exists but its direction, and turn toward it.

The classic trap: flame sensors also respond to hall lighting, sunlight through a window and reflections off glossy surfaces. Plenty of teams have lost a run chasing a phantom flame in a corner. The fix: proper thresholding, restricting the sensor's field of view, and confirming a flame across several consecutive readings.

Extinguishing methods

Fan or propeller — the most common and simplest.
Water pump or spray — more effective but heavier and riskier for the electronics.
Smothering mechanism — allowed under some rule sets.

What is permitted depends on that event's rules — check before building.

Search strategy

The robot should not wander randomly. Two effective approaches:

Wall following: the robot hugs one wall and circles the whole building. Simple and dependable.
A fixed room order: if the building layout is known in advance (it usually is), the robot can visit rooms in an optimal sequence — faster, but more sensitive to drift.

What comes next

The firefighter robot bridges the line follower league (motion only) and Rescue Line (a full mission). A student who works through those three in order is ready for serious RoboCupJunior competition by the end of a second year.

Frequently asked questions

What age is this league for?

One of the most suitable for younger brackets — realistic from around age 9–10.

Which sensor detects the flame?

A flame sensor tuned to the infrared/ultraviolet spectrum. Several sensors at different angles allow direction finding.

Is working with a flame dangerous?

The league uses a small candle in a controlled setting, and practice should always be supervised with extinguishing means at hand.

Want to build a firefighter robot?

Novin Zehn competition teams train from zero to the world stage — in Tehran and live online.