Inspiration
Wildfires are becoming a prevalent issue as our climate continues to change. Right now, New Mexico is experiencing it's largest wildfire ever and many endangered species and people are suffering because of it.
What it does
To combat the loss from wildfires, we decided to make a device that would alert people if there was a wildfire in there area so they can evacuate and contact the fire department quickly.
How we built it
We used an arduino nano to process data from our IMU which is attached to the device to monitor wind speed, which can be a key contributor to wildfires. We used 3 temperature sensors (which happen to look like transistors) to monitor the heat in the surrounding area. We used a raspberry pi 3 and Twilio to send an SMS text message. We also 3d-printed a breadboard box to mount device components on.
Challenges we ran into
The construction of the device was difficult because of its many wires and its intricacy. We also found it difficult to code the wind speed and the temperature sensors simultaneously. We also coded using many different languages so it was tough to keep track of.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are proud that we were able to complete the device and even make a website to showcase it. Our aesthetic website is great at explaining our product and its intended purpose.
What we learned
We learned how to use raspberry pi and arduino simultaneously as well as code using temperature sensors. We also learned that connecting and organizing wires is much more difficult than it looks.
What's next for BlazePing
We hope to make the product lighter and cheaper so it can be effectively used in wildfire prone area.
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