About the Creator
My name is Arul Mathur, and I'm the founder of FACE Fires. I developed F.A.C.E. for 4 years starting in high school. Now, I'm a student entrepreneur who seeks to engineer solutions to shared problems and make them accessible to the public.
The Development Process
Key moments in the creation of F.A.C.E.
1. TEDx- Sept 15, 2019
TEDx talk highlighting the wildfire problem in California and introduced the initial concept of F.A.C.E.
2. Key Test #1- Jul 21, 2020
The Birth of F.A.C.E.
This was the first ever practical test of F.A.C.E. after a year of designing, using solid retardant with an aerosol-like dispersion. This test allowed me to determine that the height of the canister needed to be lower relative to a fire in order to achieve sufficient contact for suppression.
3. Key Test #2- Aug 15, 2020
Baby Steps
Building off of the information from the first test, I changed my experimental setup to mount F.A.C.E. closer to the ground in a more open environment. This test allowed me to determine that a liquid-based retardant would be the best option for dispersion.
4. Key Test #3- Sept 1, 2020
Liquid Retardant
In this test, I made the switch from a solid to a liquid, utilizing 2 pans to gather water and determine flow rate. As a result of this test, I was able to make modifications to the flow rate of the water and modulate the pressure to the appropriate response.
5. Key Test #4- Sept 10, 2020
Real Flame
This test was the first to utilize a full flame to activate F.A.C.E.. Based on the results of this test, I was able to determine the optimal flow rate and air/water ratio within the canister. This then allowed me to begin work on identifying the maximum dispersion radius.
6. Key Test #5- Sept 15, 2020
Functional Design
This was the first fully effective test of F.A.C.E., yielding 100% fire suppression in a complete and controlled manner. As a result of this test, I finalized the golden ratios of elements within the canister, and decided to work on scaling up the effective radius of the extinguisher.
7. Key Test #6- Dec 2, 2020
Overshooting the target
This was the first test of F.A.C.E. after a hiatus when I was setting up as an LLC. In this test, I tried to use a separate canister to increase the suppression radius, resulting in too powerful of a blast damaging the structural integrity of the canister. This resulted in the optimization of the device radius.
8. Key Test #7- Apr 15, 2021
A Real Scenario
This was the first test of F.A.C.E. after filing a provisional patent. In this test, I mounted F.A.C.E. as it would be in a field scenario and subjected it to spreading flame. This allowed me to fine tune the mounting system and the optimal height.
9. Launch on Kickstarter- Jul 1-31, 2021
View the campaign here