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

easy man made fires? no more molotov cocktails!

[sittingnut]

"Imagine them having this in their backpack, pulling it out and telling it, 'Hey, go scout out there. Check whether it's hot. ..."
yeah imagine terrorist/protester/prankster/etc with backpack drone with fire-making ping-pong balls saying that.

Skynet

[goldaryn]

Let's hope Skynet never gets a hold of this thing. Because if you think birds pooping on your head is annoying,,

complimented at last!

[Gravis Zero]

this will go great with my arson bot!