DTC Journal of Computational Intelligence, Vol-1, Issue-1

IoT Based Autonomous Multi-

Purpose Surveillance and Rescue
Robot
Ansh Dudeja1, Anshul Yadav2, Anveshak Parashar3, Arnay Kabtiyal4, Shaveta
Arora5*
1,2,3,4
UG Students, Department of Computer Science and Engineering,
The NorthCap University, Gurugram, India
5
Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering,
The NorthCap University, Gurugram, India
*shavetaarora@ncuindia.edu

Abstract

This paper aims to develop a multi-purpose surveillance robot to perform surveillance

activities in industrial areas, militarized war zones or radioactive field areas with the
objective of analyzing, governing and protecting the areas from unwanted threats. The
use of robots and their role in our day to day life has been rapidly increasing since the day
they were introduced to the world, further reducing the errors and life risk to humans.
The objective is to design and develop an Internet of Things (IoT) based autonomous
multi-purpose surveillance robot at a low cost that will roam around freely and give live
updates about their surroundings by broadcasting video and information through the
sensors installed. The sensors collect the data from the surroundings and send it to the
arduinomicrocontroller which can be seen by the user any time. This technology is
controlled by the user remotely through any device such as mobile phone, tablet or laptop
with the help of IoT based services. The entire project is built and monitored by wireless
platform to minimalize the use of wire and help it work smoothly in remote places.
Further improvements and advancements in this project can help in reducing life risk of
valuable soldiers or identification of any hostage in unknown places.

Keywords: Arduino, IoT, Autonomous, Surveillance, ESP32 Module, Thingspeak.

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1. Introduction

In 1954, humans were introduced to the world’s first fully functioning industrial robot
“The Unimate" and after that, scientists and engineers have come together to create
dynamic and diverse changes in the field of automation and roboticsto make the daily
humane tasks easier and faster. The use of robots in development and automation fields is
increasing day by day and there is no doubt about the future being largely controlled by
robots and artificial intelligence (AI) [1].

The Surveillance System closely observes and analyzes the surrounding and get instant
information about the conditions. It is mainly required in areas of high risk, borders,
public places, and prison or in industries which is mainly used for monitoring behavior
and activities of a group or any individual. The need of surveillance robots arises when
the life risk is too high and the user wants the information to be highly accurate.
Robots are nothing but fully automated electronic and internet controlled devices that are
capable of performing various tasks that a normal human might not be able to do. Thus,
use of robots for surveillance is one of the greatest advancements in the field of
automation [2]. These multifunctional robots are able to perform tasks in dangerous
situations like collapsing buildings or radioactive zones. One of its best uses is in the
protection and rescue works after unexpected tragedy or unwanted invasions like
Ukraine-Russia Cold war or tragedies like Chernobyl/Bhopal Gas Plant [3]. There are
many obstacles faced by the rescue forces during inspection of such sudden and
unexpected events like narrow spacing, collapsing of damaged structures. It becomes
difficult for an ordinary human to deal with such risky tasks to enter areas without
knowing the present information. These robots being autonomous in nature are designed
to perform efficiently without human interference and have high mobility.

Back in 1999, Kevin Ashton introduced the term ‘Internet of Things’ to the world in one
of his presentations. IoT connected people with everything on the internet from anywhere
around the world and since then the definition of IoT has evolved and growth has rapidly
increased. Nowadays, we can see the wide use of IoT in various fields to connect the
world virtually and physically. The number of devices connected via IoT as of 2021 are
close to 30 billion and expected to react 75 billion in the year 2025 enumerated by
Statista [4].

This IoT Based Autonomous multi-purpose surveillance and rescue robot is built on
mainly two systems as shown in Fig.1.First, the motorized working of the robot with all
the connections and second, the communication of the device with the user and smooth
data transfer from the sensors to the cloud platform. These systems help in carrying out
task properly. The main aim of this project is to combine the two different systems into
one machine that would make them work simultaneously and perform the required tasks.
To achieve this aim, an IoT based monitoring system is also included with the robot
which can be used to monitor by the user through their device [5]. The main applications
include:

1. Record video visuals and broadcast it to the user

2. Send data from sensors to the IoT channel
3. Can explore areas that are dangerous for human
4. Used for the inspection of border areas

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Figure 1. Block Diagram for Communication with Surveillance and Rescue Robot

2. Literature Review

Table 1. Literature Review of IoT Based Surveillance and Rescue Robot using various
existing solutions

Year Title Proposed Technique Limitations

Design and
Implementation of - SMART-I a mobile robot and
IoT-based moved on fixed line tracing
2016 Intelligent - Real time Video Transmission Limited Battery Backup and No
[6] Surveillance Robot - Smartphone App Night Vision Camera
- Robot for detecting land mines and
can move on any terrain
- Face recognition as per the
database
Military Robot for - Updates a new person after taking
Reconnaissance and 20 pictures
2017 Surveillance using - Gas leak , Radiation, Heat No Battery Backup, Connected
[7] Image Processing Detection to Vulnerable Cloud

- Robots for human assistance Decision making and the robot

2017 Autonomous - gesture sensing like waving the can't cover large areas
[8] Surveillance Robots camera for assistance Irregular sensor data
IOT-Based Wi-Fi
Surveillance Robot -Smartphone app with easy UI Using third party app may
with Real-Time - PIR sensors along with gas sensors, create hindrance with the
2018 Audio and Video night vision camera instead of IP security
[9] Streaming cam concerns like IP cam breach
Smart Surveillance
Robot for Real-Time
Monitoring and
Control System -Smartphone app
2018 Monitoring and -PIR/IR and Night Vision for Only related to data collection
[10] Control System patrolling about environmental aspects

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Instead of cayenne use cloud

IoT Based Smart platform Limited data storage up to 64gb
2020 Multi Application self-made UI to customize other Laser gun to be replaced with
[11] Surveillance Robot feature also much more powerful weapon

3. Problem Statement

The limitations of the earlier models motivated us to build a monitoring robot that
allows for active and inactive monitoring, in use independent monitoring mode and
manual mode that notifies the user when movement is detected. The robot will record the
video and stream it to the Android device via Wi-Fi. A lot of the disadvantages of robots
that are currently on the market: too expensive, ranging from thousands of dollars; they
need a large domain to communicate with a robot, and they have some gaps in the model
such as poor battery backup, limited storage, using 3rd party applications.
Our robot will have fewer benefits than the ones already unlocked in the market such
as detection sensors, solar panels for better battery, thermal imaging.

A. Existing System: There are many already existing systems that tackle different
problems.

 Some developed for only monitoring activity

 Systems have a few sensors for detection
 Already existing systems have limited range for communication with short
ranged cameras [12].

B. Proposed System

 Aim is to design a robot to replace humans in dangerous areas

 Robot that consists of sensors like Gas Detector, Motion Detector, Thermal
Sensors, PIR Sensor, Fire Sensor,Alarm System and Buzzer
 Long range and night vision camera for clear night monitoring
 Using WIFI module with Arduino to make better connection

Figure 2. Block Diagram for IoT Based Surveillance and Rescue Robot

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4. System Design

The system consists of two major sections – one is the user control section and the
other one is the mobility section. The robot has an arduinounomicrocontroller which acts
as the brain of system as it is used for controlling the motors and movement of the robot.
In the user section, with the help of a mobile or a laptop user control is much better as
compared to the old versions where a big control instructed panel was required to make
the robot move and perform tasks. The communication from the user end to the robotic
mobile section can be performed in various ways, using a Zigbee device or any Bluetooth
controlled technology, but in these the range of communication is limited. So in order to
make the robot remotely controlled from a far distance, user Section can be connected
with the internet using the IoT technology. For connecting the user with the robot from
far distance, ThingSpeak,an IoT based technology is used[13].
For receiving the live video visuals and the data from the sensors, ThingSpeak channel
plays a vital role. The sensors and ESP32 Camera Wi-Fi Module is connected to the
Arduino Board that further provides the Wi-Fi facility to the Robot. After the full
connection, the robot can send the data collected from the sensors using the Wi-Fi
modules and the IoT platform to the users.
In mobility part, the robot consists of wheels, motors, battery, ESP32 Wi-Fi Module
and various different sensors. The arduino board is placed on the body of robot which
gives input supplies to the DC Motors and the motors are further connected to the wheels
which move according to the user instructions. The arduino microcontroller is coded
through its IDE software where the code is defined for appropriate movement. Parallel to
the movement of the robot, various sensors such as Gas sensor, Ultrasonic sensor, PIR
sensor are also mounted on the robot interfaced with the microcontroller. The circuit
diagram is shown in fig.3.

Figure3. Circuit Diagram of IoT BasedSurveillance and Rescue Robot

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5. Hardware Used

For the robot to be autonomous it requires a large amount of hardware components

for better efficiency and functionality. The major components required for the making of
this robot are as follows:

5.1 Arduino UNO

Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on easy to use hardware and software.
The microcontroller is used for connecting sensors and motors and the board is able to
read inputs and turn them into an output.

5.2 DC Motors

DC Motors are used for the movement of robot that operate with the help of 12V
power supply. These are also known as rotary electrical machines because they convert
the electrical supply to kinetic energy.

5.3 LITHIUM ION Battery

Li-ion batteries are used in this robot acts as the source of voltage for the device and
Arduino Microcontroller.

5.4 Gas Sensor

It is a device used to detect the presence of gases in the surrounding environments.

These sensors are operated through batteries and send the data to the user via Wi-Fi
modules.

5.5 Ultrasonic Sensor

This robot device consists of Ultrasonic sensors to measure the distance of the objects
in front of the device regardless of the shape or surface. These sensors can also provide
data of any object approaching towards the robot.

5.6 Buzzer

Electronic Buzzer i.e. also known as a beeper acts as an audio device and works as
per the user requirements or can be triggered remotely as a signal.

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5.7 Jumper Wires

Electric wire that consists of a connector/pin at both ends and is normally used to
connect electronic components via breadboard.

5.8 ESP32 CAMERA WIFI MODULE

The ESP32 Wi-Fi cam is a tiny module based on ESP32 chip. This module is
mounted on the robot to provide live video from the camera and broadcast it to the user’s
device through the Wi-Fi module. It is widely used in IoT devices such as home security
devices, industrial monitoring devices.

5.9 L298N Dual Motor Controller

The L298N motor driver is used to control 4 DC Motors or 2 DC direction controlled

motors further it acts as an interface between the motors and the circuits.

5.10 PIR Sensors

Passive Infrared Sensors are electronic sensor used to measure light radiation from an
object. It is a combination of two different sensors that come together to make a PIR
sensor. It helps to provide the motion detection information happening in its view.

6. Software Used

6.1 Arduino Software (IDE)

The Arduino IDE is a softwareused to write codes, comments and upload the code to
the board and execute them to test their working.

6.2 Thingspeak

ThingSpeak is an IoT analytics platform service that allows you to aggregate,

visualize and analyze live data streams in the cloud. You can send data to

ThingSpeak from your devices, create instant visualization of live data, and send alerts. It
provides instant visualizations of data posted by your devices to ThingSpeak [14].

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Figure 4.Thingspeakinterface

Figure5.Thingspeak Channels for IoT Based Surveillance and Rescue Robot

The Thingspeak channels are used to gather all the information collected by the various
sensors, i.e. PIR Sensor, Ultrasonic Sensor, Metal Detector and Gas, Fire Sensor. These
details help the user to understand the surrounding environment of the robot and to
monitor the situation.Separate channels are made for each sensor and have their own
interface to monitor or gather live data from these sensors as shown in figure 4 and 5.

7. Cost of Making

The total cost required to make one Multi-purpose surveillance and rescue robot is INR
4800 only, including all the above mentioned hardware and software components.
Moreover, this robot has been made at a very cheaper cost as compared to other available
options in the market with same technologies.

8. Application Interface

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Figure 6 shows the user Interface that will help the user to control the multi-purpose
surveillance robot to move in all the four directions. The user will also be able to control
the speed of the multi-purpose surveillance robot and the light attached on the ESP-32
camera for better visuals.

Figure 6. User Interface for IoT Based Surveillance and Rescue Robot

On the top there is a video display that will be streaming the live video footage through
the ESP-32 Camera module attached on the multi-purpose surveillance robot and can be
monitored for different purposes.

9. Conclusions

In this paper, an IoT-based autonomous multi-purpose surveillance and rescue robot

is proposed which can solved the problems regarding inspection of difficult areas and
unexpected situations. This autonomous robot is fully capable of replacing humans and
providing extremely accurate data to the user. It overcomes the problem of short ranged
communication with the help of ThingspeakIoT platform and broadcasts the live videos
to the user. The robot is small in size and is capable of maneuvering hard terrains, also it
rotate in all directions. There are many applications to this robot such as surveillance
while being steady or in motion, analyzing the surrounding areas, displaying land mines,
spying and other militarized operations.

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Figure7. Prototype of IoT Based Surveillance and Rescue Robot with sensors

10. Conflict of Interest

There is no conflict of interest in this work.

11. Future Scope

New technologies can be implemented to make the robot more efficient. Instead of using
the ESP32 WIFI module, a proper HD camera can be used and a separate network can be
made for fast and accurate transfer of data. Instead of using the Thingspeak platform an
API can be built for fetching data. The design of the robot can be upgrades as per the
needs and an arm can be attached to the robot, which will have new functionalities and a
few more sensors.Instead of using battery, a proper solar powered battery might be
planted the working of robot. Further, thermal imaging or face/identity detection systems
can be installed on the robot that will help in identifying people and thermal imaging can
be used to get information regarding any hostage or people in restricted areas.

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