California (Web Desk): The United States is testing artificial intelligence-powered autonomous drones to control wildfires, with the aim of detecting fires before they spread and extinguishing them at an early stage.
California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection recently tested autonomous firefighting drones, while similar automated systems were also tested in Alaska to detect and extinguish fires at an early stage.
The drones used in California are equipped with artificial intelligence, computer vision and various sensors that can detect fires and deliver firefighting foam to affected areas. The technology is particularly being developed for remote locations where ground crews or large aircraft may take longer to reach.
In Alaska, solar-powered sensors detected early signs of fire in forests, after which an observation drone flew autonomously to confirm the fire, followed by another drone to extinguish it.
Experts say the technology is not a replacement for large firefighting aircraft but could serve as a valuable support tool, with its key advantage being rapid response during the first few minutes of a fire.
However, bad weather, difficult terrain, limited capacity and maintaining safe communication with other aircraft remain major challenges. Some US fire agencies are preparing to move these drones beyond the experimental stage and deploy them in actual firefighting operations.