13 Sep What is the Firedrone?
Drones are used by firefighters to spread fire retardant in remote areas, hoist hoses across skyscrapers and capture high-definition footage to help ground units.
However, many drones suffer from the high temperatures of fires, and the heat of the Middle East, the combination damages the electronics inside the drone, rendering it useless.
Researchers have developed the Firedrone, a name reminiscent of firefighters and firetrucks, the drone comes equipped with cameras and carbon dioxide sensors, allowing for high-quality intel gathering, whilst the drone itself is also capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 200 degrees Celsius for ten minutes.
Researchers believe the FireDrone is capable of scoping out fires for teams, even heading through tight corridors where temperatures can be too high for humans to handle.
The FireDrone operates through a layered design, one which uses super-reflecting aluminium to reflect heat. The super-insulation prevents materials inside from stringing, melting, or degrading in the presence of or during long-term exposure to high temperatures.
The protective exoskeleton contains:
- Regular and infrared cameras
- CO2 sensors
- Video transmitters
- Flight controllers
- Batteries
- Radio receivers.
Find out more about the research behind the FireDrone on the official projects site of Soton UAV.