Drone Fire-Fighting Tested in Nebraska (ap.org)

An anonymous reader writes: Friday Researchers at the University of Nebraska flew a drone over a prairie test site, dropping small containers the size of ping-pong balls to ignite controlled fires. "The fires clear out brush to make it easier to control wildfires on the prairie," reports the Associated Press, citing a National Park Service spokesperson who believes it could help clear overgrown vegetation in hard-to-reach areas. "The technology is already used by helicopters to start controlled burns," reports the AP, "but researchers note that the drone is cheaper and more portable. 'You could afford one of these on the back of your fire truck, whereas you probably can't afford to have a full-sized helicopter parked at your fire station,' said Carrick Detweiler, a member of the Nebraska research team."
One engineering professor tells the AP, "Imagine them having this in their backpack, pulling it out and telling it, 'Hey, go scout out there. Check whether it's hot. Check whether it's safe..." And this Omaha news site has video footage of the drone fire-fighting test.

Comments

Lots of interesting projects at the Nimbus Lab

[Anonymous Coward]

I've actually been over at the Nimbus Lab and have seen this drone and several others. They work on projects that require drones to get close to whatever they're interacting with. This is one such application. As I recall, they have a drone that collects water samples from remote ponds and lakes. Another drone is designed to wirelessly charge devices in locations that aren't easily reached by people.