A wildfire detection company in Germany is developing a drone to detect and monitor wildfires using AI. Dryad hopes that its recently tested prototype can one day help firefighters suppress wildfires in their early stages.

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A German wildfire detection company, Dryad, is advancing drone technology with artificial intelligence to improve how quickly and effectively wildfires can be detected and managed. The company's new drone system, SILVAGARD, has recently passed its first successful demonstration. The prototype is capable of identifying the location and size of fires using AI-driven sensors that function as electronic noses. This advancement aims to enable firefighters to respond to fires in their early stages, reducing the potential for widespread devastation.

The SILVAGARD system offers an advantage over traditional fire detection methods, such as cameras and satellites, by leveraging rapid AI analysis. The system can provide ultra-early detection and employs autonomous drones that capture infrared imagery, offering firefighters precise overhead information. This innovation is projected to not only improve firefighting responses but also mitigate carbon emissions caused by wildfires. 

Statistics reveal a significant impact from wildfires globally, with over 138 million hectares of tree cover lost from 2001 to 2023, contributing to increased carbon emissions. Dryad's technology aspires to prevent 1.1 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions by 2030. The SILVAGARD project has secured co-funding from the European Union, amounting to 3.8 million euros. Future developments for the project involve adding fire suppression capabilities to the system and eventually deploying it in real-world scenarios.



Using drones to detect and fight wildfires early

As wildfires spark devastation around the globe, a German company is developing an AI drone system to help firefighters stay one step ahead of them. CNN's Nick Valencia reports. Over the past two decades, extreme wildfires have become more frequent, more intense and larger, according to NASA. Now, a wildfire detection company in Germany is developing a drone that uses artificial intelligence to help firefighters suppress wildfires in their early stages. This week, Dryad successfully demonstrated its first fully functional prototype, called SILVAGARD. The drone system detected a controlled fire's location and size using AI. It provides ultra-early detection of wildfires within minutes from ignition using AI-driven sensors that are electronic noses. And they can detect fires much faster than cameras or satellites. The idea is to allow firefighters to respond before flames spread. The drone can capture infrared imagery and provide an overhead view for firefighters. The importance of SILVAGARD is that it is the first autonomous end-to-end system that detects fires using artificial intelligence and then uses autonomous drones to fly to the location of a fire without a pilot being involved and delivering precise information about the size and threat of a fire. Dryad's new technology, if used widely, could also have an impact on carbon emissions. From 2001 to 2023, wildfires caused a loss of more than 138 million hectares of tree cover worldwide, according to Global Forest Watch. That's larger than the country of Peru. Researchers found that carbon emissions from forest fires increased by 60 percent globally during that time. Dryad hopes its efforts will help prevent 1.1 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions by 2030. The European Union is co-funding the SILVAGARD project with 3.8 million euros, or 4.1 million dollars. The project's next step will be to add fire suppression capabilities and, eventually, real-world deployment. What we actually need to achieve is we need to detect and extinguish fires within 10 minutes from ignition. That's our mission, that's our vision, and SILVAGARD demonstrated here today is a big milestone towards that vision. Nick Valencia, CNN.

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Rise of AI