India developing multi-swarm drone technology for forest fire management

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