The XPrize Foundation had a significant announcement last week, the five finalists in the Wildfire Detection and Suppression Challange.
The Foundation describes the wildfire competition this way:
“Competitors in the Autonomous Wildfire Response Track are developing fully autonomous solutions to detect and suppress a high-risk fire in 10 minutes or less over a large, environmentally complex area roughly the size of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose combined, while avoiding decoy fires—a challenge that has never been tackled at this scale and scope before. These technologies have the potential to transform how fires are detected, managed, and fought, with a rate 4x faster than current best practices and shortening the time between detection and rapid response, minimizing negative impacts.”
Fireswarm’s announcement encapsulates the sweep of the prize competition
The competition is based on two tracks with a bonus high-speed fire detection prize, again quoting from the official XPrize Wildfire web site:
“Track A: Space-Based Wildfire Detection and Intelligence tests teams’ ability to detect fires across vast, environmentally challenging landscapes in just one minute, and within ten minutes precisely characterize and report data to decision-makers on the ground. Solutions must rely on Earth Observation and may include innovations in sensors, AI, machine learning, and other technologies to expedite space-based detection of incipient wildfires.
“Track B: Autonomous Wildfire Response tests teams’ use of autonomous systems to detect and fully suppress a high-risk fire in an environmentally challenging 1,000 km² test zone within ten minutes, leaving decoy fires untouched. Solutions may include sensors that can “hear, see, and smell” smoke, cameras, drones, AI, machine learning, and advance the integration of end-to-end systems that can detect and respond to wildfires autonomously.
“Lockheed Martin Accurate Detection Intelligence Bonus Prize: Awarded to teams in the Autonomous Wildfire Response track whose technology achieves detection with exceptional speed, accuracy, and precision.”
The five finalists, chosen from an initial 338 entrants and 15 semi-finalists, include:
Anduril (USA) – Focusing on the detection element, Anduril’s modular Lattice software platform combines signals from fixed Sentry autonomous sensing towers and aerial Ghost-X autonomous drones to detect early fires. It then uses Lattice to perform, “machine learning, predictive modeling, precision location alerts, and early aerial suppression.”
- Data Blanket (USA) – Data Blanket, “provides a rapidly deployable autonomous drone swarm system that enables instant wildfire detection, real-time perimeter mapping, actionable intelligence for incident commanders, and targeted early-stage suppression to reduce escalation.”
- Dryad Networks (Germany) – Dryad’s Florian Project “combines solar power, AI, and acoustic technology to revolutionize early wildfire detection and sustainable firefighting.”
- FireSwarm Solutions (Canada) – FireSwarm Solutions, “in partnership with Solaris Suborbital, Trident Sensing, Exo Drone and SenseNet offers an autonomous, drone-agnostic wildfire detection and suppression platform that uses infrared sensing and swarm intelligence to localize fires in real time and coordinate ACC Innovation ultra-heavy-lift drones for precise, autonomous suppression missions.”
- Wildfire Quest (USA) – Valley Christian High School’s team, in partnership with SensoRyAI and Kaizen™ Aerospace, “Uses a network of AI-enabled multi-sensor detectors to precisely triangulate wildfires in their incipient stages—with or without line-of-sight—and a proprietary path-planning algorithm to autonomously guide heavy-lift suppression drones through dynamic environments for accurate detection and response.”
Who’s in the Wildfire Finals?
Each of the competing systems has the same necessary elements, and each team has a unique approach to the problems common to all. Every system requires some form of sensing mechanisms, and the teams have a variety of ground units and even space-borne satellites to spot incipient fires at the first opportunity. Since the systems must handle multiple possible emergencies simultaneously, a central processing unit must prioritize resources and dispatch automated aerial platforms to deal with deploying and routing tho9se platforms. This would include necessary stops for refueling or recharging, replenishment of water or fire retardant and assessments of progress in extinguishing a fire or fires.
Different teams have taken different routes in obtaining or creating the necessary hardware, and final integration into a functional design will doubtless play a big part in determning an overal winner.
Two United States firms have high-powered backing. Anduril Industries, Inc has resources financed by Palmer Lucky, a long-time force in Silicon Valley. Anduril’s name is from Lord of the Rings, and denotes a sword, as Wikipedia explains, “Translated from the novels’ constructed language Quenya, the name means Flame of the West.” The name is apt, with Anduril specializing in developing progams and hardware for autonomous combat systems. Somewhat oddly, the company’s web site seems to favor military uses of its technology and ignores the potential firefighting applications.
Bill Gates, another prominent “tech bro,” backs Data Blanket, a heavily data-based aerial fire and smoke detedtion system that can guide ground or aerial vehicles to hot spots. Like Anduril, the company websi8te doesn’t show amy automated aerial veihicles ready to take the battle to the fire.
German firm Dryad fields Silvanet on the ground (or more specifically in the trees) to offer early detection of hot gases and smoke. Their aerial component is called Florian after the patron sain of firefeightrs. Uniquely, the drones will fly under the canopy level of the forest and extinguish flames with sound waves. Their demonstration flights will probably be the most anticipated in the competiion.
Fireswarm Solutions, a Canadian entry, integrates a suite of sensing, alarming, control, and aerial elements to combat blazes. Very large drones carry water in drop buckets and seem able to offer great precison in its drops. As with Dryad and Valley Christian, this seems to be a full solution for the competition, not just a shot at the Track A segment.
Wildfire Quest, the Valley Christian High School entry, may become the crowd favorite. Here you have a group of young, intelligent, idealistic teens up against a pair of multi-billionaires and systems backed by defense contractors. A clever screenwriter could craft an audience-grabbing script from that basic premise, and your editor will be waiting to see what denoument comes at the climax. Spielberg and Scorsese can send royalty checks to Sustainable Skies.
Valley Christian’s AMSE Institute (Applied Math, Science, and Engineering)
The school has a comprehensive STEM program, which it describes on its web site. This shows how serious these kids are. “Valley Christian High School offers students the opportunity to specialize in applied math, science, or engineering through AMSE. This program provides unique training with experienced professionals to aid students in developing a competitive portfolio of work throughout high school. The program extends beyond the classroom with extraordinary after-school offerings, including the International Space Station (ISS) Program, the Satellite Development Program, the Astronomy Research Program, Mu Alpha Theta Math Honors Society, Robotics, and much more. Our state-of-the-art facilities include the ISS Lab, the NanoTechnology Lab, the Satellite Tracking Station, and the VC Observatory provide students early access to the latest technology and tools to advance the unique interests and abilities of each individual.”
Looking forward to the finals!