The FireDrone can penetrate a wall of flames and thanks to its shell, its components can withstand temperatures of up to 200 degrees. To achieve this, the scientists who developed it took inspiration from nature.
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Firefighters now use drones to monitor fire development and for many other rescue operations. What drones aren’t doing yet is entering a burning building to help firefighters plan their response more efficiently and safely.
A team of scientists from Imperial College London and the Swiss research institute Empa have found a way to create an experimental quadrocopter drone that can withstand flames. Your FireDrone prototype can withstand in the air without batting an eyelid while being exposed to temperatures of up to 200 degrees for about ten minutes.
In order for the aircraft to withstand these high temperatures, the researchers were inspired by nature, more precisely by animals such as penguins, arctic foxes, arctic foxes and spit beetles. They are all capable of living in extreme temperatures. In order to protect them, nature has provided them with fur, layers of fat or other heat-regulating protective layers.
The FireDrone in action. The drone was able to cross a wall of flames without incident. © Empa
A bio-inspired drone
So, to protect the heart of the drone, they thought of a layer of aerogel aerogel, an ultra-light material similar to gel gel but with the liquid part replaced by air. The shell structure of this aerogel consists of the plastic polyimide. This is exactly what NASA uses to insulate astronaut suits. The scientists also added silicon dioxide for more rigidity and reinforced the assembly with glass fiber.
This protective layer then thermally insulates the electronics. An outer “skin” made of aluminum aluminum also enables heat reflection. The protected electronics include a battery, a flight controller, a video transmitter, a radio receiver, as well as an optical camera, an infrared infrared camera and a CO2 sensor. The FireDrone has already been successfully tested in a fire brigade training center. With its protective layer, it could also be used in very cold weather when drones are usually on the ground.