University Researchers Help Develop AI-Powered Drones to Prevent Wildfires

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

A University of Bristol professor has joined forces with Lancashire Fire and Rescue and Windracers to test a swarm of self-coordinating drones for firefighting, as part of an effort to develop cost-effective early mitigation strategies for wildfires.

In 2018 Lancashire Fire and Rescue spent 41 days battling a wildfire across 18 square kilometres of moorland near Bolton. The project brought Lancashire Fire and Rescue together with Windracers, the British developer of self-flying cargo aircraft, and some of the country’s most respected AI and robotics scientists based at the University of Bristol and the University of Sheffield. Together they have developed unique technology for autonomously detecting and suppressing fires before they spread into uncontrollable wildfires.

Sabine Hauert is Professor of Swarm Engineering in the School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology at the University of Bristol. She looks at robotic swarms on all scales: from nanoscale medicine delivery to robots used in logistics.

"Finding and tackling wildfires before they become a problem requires many robots to work together as a swarm,” said Prof Hauert. “We've spoken to firefighters around the world to design a swarm that is useful and easy for them to operate. It was great to see this technology being tested for the first time.”

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s Chief Fire Officer, Justin Johnston, said: “The earlier we reach fires, the less harm they pose to firefighters, communities, infrastructure and the environment."

Windracer ULTRA™ self-flying cargo aircraft, which have also been used to carry parcels to the Orkney Islands as well as collect scientific data in Antarctica, are each able to carry 100 kg of fire retardant. They can fly autonomously in a search pattern to monitor danger areas over the summer months, with a swarm of drones potentially covering areas the size of Greece.

Using AI technology from University of Sheffield - which incorporates thermal and optical imaging - the drones can automatically detect and investigate fires, and relay all the information to the fire team. Under the supervision of fire and rescue teams and using swarm technology developed by the University of Bristol, the drones can then intelligently self-coordinate as first responders to rapidly deploy fire retardant onto the fire, monitor the situation and return to base.

“This successful trial was the culmination of four years of research and development which brought together some of the country’s greatest minds in autonomous aviation, AI and robotics to help tackle one of society’s greatest challenges,” comments Stephen Wright, Founder and Executive Chairman at Windracers. “We believe this highly cost-effective technology could be a game-changer.”

The week-long trial, which was based at Preddanack airport in Cornwall, rigorously tested the autonomous fire detection and swarm capabilities using one ULTRA and 3 smaller drones. ULTRA and the drones successfully identified and approached a number of small, controlled fires - which were monitored closely by fire and rescue services. It is a key milestone in the development of wildfire prevention technology which could be deployed by firefighters in the coming years pending regulatory approval.

Justin Johnston, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s Chief Fire Officer, said: "The self-governing swarm of flying drones could help firefighters detect a wildfire earlier, while being able to locate the exact place of fire and summon other drones to control the fire before firefighters get to the scene. We are proud and delighted to be part of this trial, the first of its kind in the world, and have a say in technology that could greatly reduce the risk of wildfires.”

The project has been funded by The Future Flight challenge at UK Research and Innovation, delivered by Innovate UK.  ‘Protecting environments with unmanned aerial vehicle swarms’ was one of 17 projects that shared £73 million in funding to develop and show integrated aviation systems and new vehicle technologies.

Wildfires have become more frequent, large, and severe in the United Kingdom. Factors such as land use changes, higher temperatures, drought conditions, and climate change contribute to this trend. In 2022, there were over 44,000 wildfires - a rise of 72% from the previous year.