XPrize team - led by Optect
OPTECT - OPTICAL DETECTION
The Optect XPRIZE Wildfire team was established to develop groundbreaking wildfire solutions in collaboration with external companies. So far, Optect has partnered with Sonic Fire Tech under the team name Optect - Optical Detection, with more partners to be announced soon.
We acknowledge the immense scale of this challenge, but are excited to push the boundaries of both physics and commercial viability. We're aiming high and will see where our efforts take us!
Please read about our approach below, and if it excites you, feel free to get in touch.
Detection
An airborne loitering detection UAV deployed only during dangerous wildfire conditions will enhance detection speed during critical times while minimizing costs otherwise. These UAVs will be equipped with a novel ultra-long-range IR3 sensor, enhanced for the XPrize, capable of detecting a 1m³ flame from several km away. This sensor is supplemented by high-resolution visual and thermal cameras, providing additional data on smoke plumes and hotspots for comprehensive situational awareness.
Ground-based sensors will be strategically placed in high-risk areas to complement the airborne system. These include long-range IR3 flame sensors, visual cameras capable of detecting smoke plumes, and thermal cameras effective at detecting fires at night. This integrated approach ensures rapid and reliable detection of wildfires, facilitating timely and effective response efforts.
Autonomous equipment drop
Upon detection of a wildfire, rapid deployment suppression systems will be activated. High-speed air-taxi-style autonomous VTOL UAVs will be used to transport ground robots to the fire site. These UAVs will avoid obstacles, maintain a safe flight path and deliver the suppression robots to the target area.
As the UAVs approach the fire zone, they will remain above the treeline and use a cable system to lower the ground robots to the target location. This method ensures the robots are placed in the areas most needed for effective firefighting without risking destruction of the most expensive assets, the transport UAVs.
Suppression
The deployment of quadruped ground robots, capable of navigating complex terrains with dense vegetation, means that suppression efforts are not hindered by natural obstacles that would typically slow down human crews or small airborne suppression systems.
The ground robots will be equipped with sonic fire suppression technology from Sonic Fire Tech. This innovative system emits high-intensity infrasound waves, which disrupt the chemical reactions of a fire by vibrating oxygen molecules at a frequency that prevents the fire from sustaining itself.
Each suppression unit operates like a directional sound beam, akin to a water cannon. These beams can be precisely aimed to create firebreaks or target specific hotspots, extinguishing fires with accuracy and without the need for resupply.
POTENTIAL PARTNERS
If you have a technology or skillset relevant to this approach and you're keen to be involved, please get in touch.