I, Brian Wang, talked with Randy Kirk about his idea for using tens of thousands of drones or other technology to fight large city and forest fires.
Here is a solution that wasn't possible even a few years ago. 10,000 Drones specially built for dumping water or chemicals could provide overwhelming fire suppression fast and stop the fires before they get into fire storm levels. pic.twitter.com/Plhs1aUjBM
— Randy Kirk (@RandyWKirk1) January 9, 2025
There have been drones made and used to fight fires. They are used in New York and in China.
There are new heavier lift drones that could be used to transport large quantities of water.
What was it like responding to yesterday’s crane fire and collapse? Take look at the footage from #FDNY Robotics Unit drones. The drones were an integral part of an operation that had the FDNY putting out the fire, evacuating tenants, and assessing structural damage. pic.twitter.com/LncodGz7mg
— FDNY (@FDNY) July 27, 2023
Robot Arms and Robotic Systems Can Be Placed Into Seats of Any Plane and Fly Them
737 planes and military planes have been flown with robots in the pilot seat.
This means any of the hundreds of fixed wing fire fighting planes can be converted to drone operations to put 800-20,000 gallons of water with each load.
The CL-415 costs about $39 million and can put 1600 gallons of water onto fires with each load.
The heavy lift drones in the $250k- $2M range can put 50-200 gallons of water onto targets. 1750 lbs is about 200 gallons.
Forty $500K drones able to put 100 gallons loads would mean $20 million for 4000 gallons of water.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
In 100 mph winds?
One factor in the Hawaii and California fires is wind. That would need to be overcome. Another factor is the FAA regulations. There are other obstacles to overcome. Good idea. Needs work.