Rain, an aerial firefighting technology company, along with Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary known for its cutting-edge helicopters, are exploring new strategies for autonomously fighting wildfires.
Late last year, they conducted test flights with an autonomous helicopter designed to load and disperse water over fire outbreaks in their early stages.
Autonomous helicopter tests
The demonstration took place at Sikorsky’s Stratford, Connecticut facility, where a Black Hawk, equipped to be optionally piloted, performed flights in fully autonomous mode, albeit with Sikorsky safety pilots on board as a precaution.
Maxwell Brodie, CEO of Rain, explained the process: “In 2023, together with Sikorsky, we set out to prove that we could detect an incipient fire, deploy and direct an autonomous helicopter to carry and release a suppressant agent at the fire site, and then command the precise delivery of water on the fire.”. Brodie expressed his satisfaction with the results, which confirmed the feasibility of autonomous rapid fire detection and response.
Likewise, Rain y Sikorsky highlighted that the technologies demonstrated could facilitate faster aerial intervention in wildfires, thanks to:
- Integration of cameras with AI for early fire detection, automation aircraft dispatching and routing.
- The adaptation of a Black Hawk for autonomous flight using Sikorsky’s MATRIX system, combined with Rain’s firefighting mission autonomy technology.
- The processing of high-resolution thermal images by Rain’s autonomous system to locate, target and extinguish fires, controlling the flight path and timing of water release.
For his part, Igor Cherepinsky, director of Sikorsky Innovations, said, “By marrying Sikorsky’s Matrix flight autonomy system with Rain’s fire mission autonomy technology, we have shown that it is possible to extinguish a fire in its early stage, preventing major disasters.”
Similarly, Rain stated that the integrated system achieved full autonomous fire response, including detection, dispatch, route planning, verification, takeoff, flight, Bambi bucket handling, target selection, fire suppression and landing.
Future plans
Looking ahead, Rain plans to expand its collaboration with fire departments to incorporate autonomous systems into their operations, thereby improving the safety of first responders and the community. The company aims to perfect autonomous firefighting capabilities in alliance with Sikorsky.
This advance in fire suppression technology promises to radically transform the effectiveness and safety of wildfire response. By equipping fire agencies with autonomous helicopters, Rain and Sikorsky are paving the way for a new era in wildfire fighting, where early and precise intervention can save not only vast tracts of wilderness, but also human lives.
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Source: therobotreport.com
Video: Rain
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