Firefighting drones could be the latest firefighting technology

‘FireDrone’, a new firefighting technology, can enter burning buildings, monitor fires, and provide real-time information about people inside.

Drones are already used remotely by firefighters to take aerial photos, lift fire hoses into skyscrapers, or drop fire extinguishers into remote areas to slow the spread of wildfires.

However, current drones designed for firefighting are often unable to fly very close because they cannot handle high temperatures and may melt, and their electronics fail.

In communicating with firefighters, drones that can get very close to buildings, can really help prepare first responders to enter burning buildings or forests.

Therefore, researchers wanted to create a new drone equipped with cameras and carbon dioxide (CO2) sensors that could provide important information on the design and structure of fires.

Withstand a temperature of 200 ° C for ten minutes

This drone, developed in collaboration at Imperial College London and Empa, is able to provide first-hand information from dangerous areas to emergency responders, always withstanding extreme temperatures.

The drone is made with a new airgel heating device and has a cooling system that allows it to withstand temperatures up to 200°C for ten minutes.

The researchers believe that the FireDrone could be used to alert people to fires and other hazards like the latest firefighting technology, which is on display.

Inspiration from thermoregulating materials

The researchers were inspired by animals that live in extreme temperatures, such as penguins, arctic foxes, and spittlebugs, all of which have the right layers of fat, fur, or create their own layers that help them move more efficiently.

Using firefighting technology, they developed a protective shell made of lightweight, high-temperature materials such as polyimide airgel and fiberglass.

The drone is covered in high-quality aluminum to reflect heat. This means that the super-insulation prevents the materials from getting damaged and the pores from getting damaged after overheating.

Inside the protective exoskeleton, its heat-sensitive parts include:

• Standard and infrared cameras
• CO2 sensors
• Video transmitters
• Flight controllers
• Batteries
• Radio receivers.

Fire extinguishers can withstand extreme heat and cold

In order to reduce the temperature, the researchers used the emission and emission of gases from the CO2 sensors to create a cooling system.

They tested the drone in temperature-controlled chambers and flew it near flames at a fire training facility.

They were also tested on an ice road in Switzerland to study how the system behaves in extreme cold. As it was designed with inspiration from land animals, the FireDrone has been proven to be used in extreme cold, polar regions and frozen areas.

“Deploying robots in critical environments offers significant benefits in reducing risks to human life”

Professor Mirko Kovac, from Imperial College London and Empa, said: “Firefighters cannot be sure what they will find, and what problems they will face, until they enter the danger zone.

“FireDrone can be sent forward to gather vital information – identifying people trapped, construction plans, unexpected hazards – so that responders can prepare accordingly to protect themselves and save more lives.

“The use of drones is often limited by environmental factors such as temperature. We present a way to overcome this and we believe that our findings will help to unleash the power of future drones in the most challenging environments”.

“Deploying robots in dangerous environments offers great benefits in terms of reducing the risk to human lives, and who can look better than animals that have adapted their adaptations to this by using stimulation in the way animals cool down in the heat.”