A prototype drone developed at Imperial College London is able to withstand temperatures of up to 200°C for 10 minutes.
The so-called FireDrone is designed to fly into burning buildings or forest fires and provide "crucial first-hand data" otherwise unavailable to first responders. For example, identifying where people are trapped in a burning building without fire fighters needing to perform a room-by-room search.
The drone's ability to withstand such high temperatures is possible due to the combination of a new thermal aerogel insulation material and an internal cooling system. The exterior of the drone is manufactured from polymide aerogel and glass fibers, which is then coated with super-reflecting aluminum to minimize heat transfer.
Inside the drone, there's a heat-protected space for temperature-sensitive components. The researchers managed to fit regular and infrared cameras, CO2 sensors, video transmitters, flight controllers, batteries, and radio receivers in there. The "release and evaporation of gas from the CO2 sensors" was used to build a cooling system.
The research team worked on the drone with Empa, the Swiss federal laboratories for materials science and technology, which has a dedicated lab for sustainability robotics. Design inspiration was taken from animals living in extreme temperatures (penguins, spittlebugs, arctic foxes), which rely on mulitple layers of natural protection within their bodies.
Although only a prototype, the research team is now "validating the technology with key industrial stakeholders and partners," which could lead to drones that help saves lives in a number of dangerous situations and locations around the world.
