Function

The Sense revolutionizes residential fire prevention. Unlike traditional smoke detectors/fire alarms, wich alert user about fire/smoke, Sense prevents fires. Sense system consists of the main unit and the large (220V) and small (110V) safety switch modules. The main unit houses an Enose sensor. Enose is an existing technology, which allows the system to distinguish smells similarly to human nose and helps to minimize false alarms. The system alarms users if smoke or other toxic gases are detected and provides information about the nature of the hazard. If system detects burning food, the main unit alerts the user and if no feedback is received within 60 sec. it shuts off appliances in order to prevent fire from starting. If a fire smoke is detected ,the system shuts off the appliances without delay. The shut off of the heat source is achieved through a wireless communication between main unit and safety switch modules which are placed between the cooking appliances and power outlets.

Inspiration

The inspiration came from my parents. My parents constantly leave food unattended on the stove and forget about it until the smoke detector goes off by which time the food is completely burned, the house is filled with smoke and the pot is half melted. These types of incidents cause more damage than simply destroying ones dinner. If everybody is asleep or no one is home to turn off the burner, fire will start resulting in property damage, injuries and death. Our traditional smoke detector help alert us of smoke, but it does nothing to prevent the fire. These sensors also are unable to perform accurately in the kitchen due to the nature of cooking which produces smoke and heat. This is ironic as kitchens are the number one place where residential fires start. That is why I set to develop a better fire prevention system which will work in kitchens, be able to distinguish between cooking smoke and fire smoke, prevent fires instead of simply alerting and help families to save their dinner.

Development

The project started with intensive research on the nature of residential fires. Data was collected about the reason behind them and available fire prevention products. The research has reviled that traditional smoke detectors are often disconnected due to the nuisance of false alarms. My interviews of fire prevention specialists reviled that top reason of residential fires is unattended cooking. Next, I studied the limitations of available products and set to find a sensor that can distinguish between cooking food and fire, so it can be installed in kitchens. Research brought me to Enose which is currently used in variety of industries. Next, long ideation process led to a method of fire preventions that could prevent fire from starting. The system was refined to function without interfering with a cooking process. The result is a fire prevention system which reduces occurrence of false alarm and prevents fire from starting by shutting of the heat source. It even can save ones dinner.