India developing multi-swarm drone technology for forest fire management
by Simon Mansfield
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Mar 22, 2024
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a pioneering approach to combat natural disasters such as forest fires by deploying multiple swarms of drones, leveraging their coordinated efforts for more effective disaster management.
Forest fires, exacerbated by climate change, pose a growing global threat. “Employing a swarm of drones presents a novel solution to this escalating challenge,” asserts Suresh Sundaram, Professor at IISc’s Department of Aerospace Engineering. This approach, although not yet utilized in India, advances the current drone technology by enabling coordinated operations among multiple swarms to efficiently address forest fires.
Sundaram explains, “A singular drone is inadequate once a fire has begun to spread. What’s required is a swarm capable of mutual communication and independent decision-making.” The team has engineered an algorithm facilitating this intricate coordination, allowing drones to independently assess a fire’s magnitude and determine the necessary number of drones to extinguish it.
Upon detecting a potential fire, drones equipped with cameras and sensors are dispatched. The first drone to locate the fire becomes the focal point, drawing others to consolidate efforts. “The drones autonomously allocate resources, directing an appropriate number of units to the most threatening fire clusters,” Sundaram adds.
The researchers drew inspiration from the foraging patterns of Oxyrrhis marina, a marine predator, to refine their search algorithm. This biological model enables drones to adjust their search parameters dynamically, increasing efficiency in locating and addressing fires.
This decentralized, data-driven strategy ensures optimal deployment of resources, with the potential to extend beyond fire management to other disasters, such as floods and earthquakes, enhancing rescue and relief efforts.
While components of this technology have been tested, including AI-enabled fire detection and precise payload delivery, comprehensive field-testing of the full swarm strategy is pending. Future plans include integrating these drone swarms with unmanned ground vehicles for resource delivery and refueling capabilities.
Research Report:An Efficient Approach With Dynamic Multiswarm of UAVs for Forest Firefighting
Related Links
Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
Forest and Wild Fires – News, Science and Technology
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2023 – Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled “by Staff Writers” include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report’s information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.
>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : IndoDaily – https://www.terradaily.com/reports/India_developing_multi_swarm_drone_technology_for_forest_fire_management_999.html
