What if we could fight wildfires with pressure waves?
It's not science ficition, it works.
Using vortex canons attached to heavy-duty drones, Project Firefly (in collaboration with EVOEMS) is transforming the way we approach wildfire containment.
Poor response time and reaching difficult terrain are huge barriers to effective wildfire management. Our technology enables wildfires to be contained early while reducing the need for direct human involvement and harmful chemicals, leading to a more effective, safe, and sustainable approach.
New tech for changing times.
Due to the hotter, dryer climate conditions created by global warming, the intensity and frequency of todays wildfires are reaching unprecedented levels. Yet, the technology used to fight wildfires has hardly changed in the past 20+ years.
Though there is limited room for innovation when it comes to extinguishing wildfires, there is a desperate need for better containment methods – especially when the worst wildfires can spread at a rate of a full football field every second. With 6-10 of our drones, we can effectively ensure that a firefront is heldback until firefighters have a chance to assemble and do their work to keep us safe.
1.76B tons
of CO2 are released into the atmosphere by wildfires every year.
Hotter and drier regional conditions caused by changing global climates are leading to prolonged and more intense wildfires. These wildfires in turn contribute upwards of 5% of global emissions which further worsens the problem - it's a positive feedback loop. Today's wildfires are very different from the wildfires of 20 years ago, and we need new and innovative technology to tackle them.
Project Firefly is addressing this issue using principles of fluid dynamics. Vortex rings are fast-moving rings of air which have areas of both compression and rarefaction, which can be thought of as positive and negative pressure. Upon contact with a fire's point of combustion, these positive and negative pressures push and pull the fire plasma away from it's fuel base to effectively extinguish/contain the burn.
Read our Moonshot Material article series to learn more.
