The hard truth: Wildfires in North America have gotten worse over the past few years, and they’re only going to get worse. Climate change continues to accelerate this problem, putting people, property, nature and animals at risk.
Drones have been an essential part of this fight for more than a decade, and the Fire Equipment Manufacturers Association expects their fleet to grow: 30,000 people by next year. However, while effective, these systems do have limitations.
“Right now, military drones used to fight wildfires are high-altitude aircraft that fly far above the trees,” said Andrew John, a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University. Note. “You can’t see through the smoke, so you can’t fly low. We want to fly right over the trees, or even under the canopy.”
Researchers at the CMU Robotics Institute have developed a drone that can navigate through smoke, providing maps and evacuation routes for firefighters and alerting them to dangerous areas.
Josh Wilkins, a retired firefighter working with researchers on the project, says solemnly: “We helped bury too many dead people because we didn’t have any actionable information.” He added that firefighters are often given 12 hours’ advance information when they start an eight- to 12-hour shift. At that point, the information becomes outdated and poses a very real risk to first responders.
The project builds on research from CMU’s DARPA Subterranean Challenge, which focused on underground navigation for mine rescue. Forest drones use pathfinding to determine the best trajectory even when visibility is obstructed. The goal is to build her 3D “digital twin” of the affected area as quickly and effectively as possible.
However, Wilkins notes that former colleagues can be hesitant to embrace new technology. “There’s always resistance, especially in the fire service,” explains the second-generation firefighter. “But I think if we show them the safety elements that are designed into these systems and the good data that can be collected with the drones, we can convince them.”
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