A hard truth: As bad as the wildfires in North America have been in recent years, things are only going to get worse. Climate change continues to accelerate the problem, putting people, property, nature and animals at risk.
Drones have been a fixture in the fight for more than a decade, and the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association expects its fleet to increase to 30,000 for next year. However, while effective, these systems certainly have their limitations.
“As of now, the military-grade drones used by those fighting wildfires are high-altitude aircraft that fly high above the trees,” said Andrew Jong, a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University. grades. “They can’t fly low because they can’t see through the smoke. “We want to fly just above the trees or even below the canopy.”
Researchers at CMU’s Robotics Institute are building drones capable of navigating through smoke, providing firefighters with maps and escape routes while drawing attention to dangerous areas.
Retired firefighter Josh Wilkins, who is collaborating with the project’s researchers, notes sadly, “I helped bury too many people who died for lack of actionable information.” He adds that firefighters are often given information from 12 hours ago when they begin their eight-hour and 12-hour shifts. At that point, the information is outdated and poses a very real risk to first responders.
The project is based on CMU research DARPA Underground Challenge, which revolved around underground navigation for mining rescues. Forestry drones use path finding to determine optimal trajectories with obstructed views. The goal is to effectively build a 3D “digital twin” of the impacted area as quickly as possible.
Wilkins notes, however, that his former colleagues may be hesitant to adopt new technologies. “There is always resistance, especially in firefighters,” explains the second-generation firefighter. “But once we show them the safety factors that have been designed into these systems and the good data we can collect with drones, I think we’ll win them over.”