Korea Tech Wins Grand Prize at University Student ESG Startup Idea Hackathon

Identify Combustion Materials in Fire to Distinguish Suppression Agents

The 'Fire buster' team, including Woo-Young Shin (Department of Mechatronics Engineering) from Korea University of Technology and Education, won the Grand Prize at the 'University Student ESG Startup Idea Hackathon' organized by Chungnam Content Korea Lab with their idea for a 'Deep Learning-Based Firefighting Solution.'

This competition selected outstanding ideas under the theme of 'Startup Ideas Related to Environmental and Social Issues' for university students in Chungcheongnam-do.

The 'Fire buster' team proposed their idea to address the issue that, although different extinguishing agents are required depending on the burning material during a fire, it is difficult for firefighters to visually identify the burning substance in urgent fire situations, often forcing them to use only water to extinguish fires.

They announced that, for accurate firefighting, gas sensors should measure and distinguish the concentration and change of gases generated according to the burning material during a fire, and then firefighting robots and other equipment should respond accordingly.

Woo-Young Shin said, "Participating in the competition with the theme of fire prevention algorithms was a valuable experience to develop our technical skills and ideas," adding, "We will strive to realize our idea and contribute to the industry."