Phoenix Finds the Flames

A team of engineering students from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., took the No. 1 prize in an international contest to build a computerized robotic device that detects fire. The robot, dubbed Phoenix, employed IR sensors for edge and heat detection.
More than 73 robots, designed by students from around the world, were entered in the contest. The robots had to navigate around walls and detect and extinguish a lighted candle. David Ahlgren, chairman of Trinity's engineering department, said his team already is investigating different sensor technologies -- including UV sensors from Hamamatsu Corp. -- for next year's competition.
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology placed second, and the Seattle Robotics Society from Washington, third.