Firefighters have a dangerous job at the best of times, but especially so when they’re first entering burning buildings. A new flame-resistant drone could help, by scouting structures to let firefighters know what they’ll be up against.
Appropriately named the FireDrone, the experimental quadcopter is being developed by scientists from Imperial College London and Switzerland’s Empa research institute. Unlike conventional drones, it’s able to withstand temperatures of up to 200 ºC (392 ºF) for as much as 10 minutes at a time.
The aircraft’s heat resistance is due mainly to an insulating layer of aerogel, which forms a shell surrounding its electronics.
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Created specifically for the project, the porous gel consists mainly of air pockets within a matrix of polyimide plastic, silica, and glass fibers – the latter provide structural reinforcement. An aluminum outer skin additionally helps reflect heat away from the drone.
Read more: New Atlas
