00:04Firefighters often have to enter homes after they're already burning, looking for inhabitants
00:08who might be trapped inside. It's dangerous work for obvious reasons, but now a heat-resistant
00:13drone might make the job just a bit easier. This is the Fire Drone. It's equipped with a suite of
00:18sensors, which its developers say could change the way fire experts deal with chaotic blazes.
00:23Here's Professor Mirko Kovac, one of the drone's developers, to explain.
00:27It has a thermal camera and it has an RGB camera, and it could have also other sensors,
00:32such as oxygen and gas sensors, toxicity sensors and so on, that can then get information on the
00:39structure of the environment and the toxicity and the heat distribution, and I guess get better
00:45situational awareness. And situational awareness is key for the survival of both the rescuers
00:49attempting to manage a fire, as well as for anyone who might still be in the building. And current
00:53drones just aren't up to the task, as they can't get close enough to the fire to be useful,
00:57as their lightweight plastic tech melts. This one, however, is built from aerogel,
01:02a lightweight material that is also high heat-resistant. It also doesn't conduct heat well,
01:06meaning the electronics inside the drone remain cool. That, along with a CO2 cartridge cooling
01:11system, means this chill drone stays chill and may continue providing intel to firefighters,
01:16even in the face of something like this.
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