Drone Defenders for Fire Country: In 2026, XPrize Teams vie to Douse Disasters in the Making
Abstract
To the untrained eye, it did not look like a particularly complicated mission. A large black quadcopter drone, more than two meters spanning the propeller tips, sat parked on the grass. Nestled between the legs of its landing gear was a red balloon filled with water. Not far away, on a concrete pad, a stack of wood pallets was ablaze, the flames whipping around in a heavy wind. A student at the University of Maryland (UMD) would fly the Alta X drone all of about 25 meters to the fire. There it would drop the water balloon to extinguish the flames.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Fire Detection and Safety Systems
UAV Applications and Optimization
Fire dynamics and safety research
Publication details
- Journal / source
- IEEE Spectrum
- Volume
- 63
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 33–37
- Publication date
- 1 January 2026