A Portuguese Drone Designed to Extinguish Wildfires from the Air
A new firefighting drone called Sap, which stands for “ported nozzle system” in Portuguese, has been developed in Portugal to help tackle wildfires.
The drone is lightweight and easy to operate, with a wingspan of 2.14m and made primarily of carbon fibre. It can reach places that are too dangerous or difficult for firefighters to enter, and has been designed to douse blazes with water before they turn into megafires.
The drone has a fire-proof hose dangling from its belly, which pummels the flames with water as the drone operator controls the device from behind a fire truck, the device’s water source. The prototype took almost four years to develop and is now being tested.
The team is applying for grants and talking with potential collaborators to turn the prototype into a product that emergency response outfits can add to their firefighting arsenal.