Could a drone fly into a fire without burning up?

Could it help find people trapped inside a blazing building?

A drone is a flying machine with no pilot inside. People control drones remotely. Now a team has made a drone that can go where others haven’t. It’s called FireDrone.

FireDrone’s makers got their idea after a sad disaster. In 2017, a building called the Grenfell Tower in London caught fire. The tragedy killed 72 people.

“I used to live close by to the tower, and I used to drive by it going to work to in London,” says Professor Mirko Kovac. Professor Kovac runs a robotics lab. People would ask him if he had a drone that could fly inside a burning building. He didn’t . . . yet.

Professor Kovac’s team started working on the idea. Team members wanted their drone to help firefighters find answers. Is someone inside the building? How is the building holding up? Will it fall soon? Where is the fire coming from? Which part of the building has the most heat?

FireDrone has a camera that senses heat. Its makers may add sensors that check for oxygen and gases. (To control fire, we have to understand it. Fire needs three ingredients. Those are the three sides of the “fire triangle”—oxygen, heat, and fuel. Take away one side of the triangle, and fire stops.)

Firefighters already use drones. Drones film fires from the sky. They hoist fire hoses up tall buildings. They drop fire retardant to slow the spread of wildfires. But they can’t get too close to fires. Their frames would melt. Their electronics would go kaput.

FireDrone uses something called aerogel to keep cool. Aerogel is light. It resists heat.

Forest? Factory? The new drones could go to work anywhere a fire might start.

Why? A creative new design lets a drone go into places that are often too dangerous for humans. Good ideas can save lives!