"Firedrone" New heat-resistant drone to protect firefighters
A newly developed drone from Empa can withstand temperatures of up to 200 degrees and will provide firefighters with real-time images of burning buildings in the future.
26.01.2026, 09:01
27.01.2026, 23:12
SDA
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- Empa's new "Firedrone" can withstand temperatures of up to 200 degrees and is designed to provide firefighters with live images from burning buildings.
- Thanks to special insulation made of polyimide aerogel and an infrared camera, it can be used in dangerous or difficult-to-access areas without endangering people.
- Developed at Empa and EPFL, it has already been successfully tested and is to be integrated into fire engines in the future.
A new drone can withstand temperatures of up to 200 degrees. In future, it will fly into burning buildings and send firefighters live images directly from the danger zones.
The "Firedrone" thus reduces the risk for emergency services, as the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) announced on Monday. "Today, firefighters have to enter burning buildings themselves in order to locate hazardous materials or missing persons," explained developer Fabian Wiesemüller in the press release.
The drone is therefore intended for use in large and complex buildings such as industrial halls, parking garages or tunnels, where searching is particularly dangerous for people. Another area of application is inspections in industrial plants such as cement or steelworks, which could be carried out at high temperatures without long and costly cooling phases.
New material encases flying robots
While conventional drones already fail at around 40 degrees Celsius, the "Firedrone" can fly at up to 200 degrees. The electronics are protected by insulation made from a new type of polyimide aerogel. This lightweight material encases the sensitive components and is supplemented by an internal temperature management system.
Equipped with an infrared camera, the drone sends thermal images to the emergency services in real time. This allows the incident command team, for example, to gain an overview from a safe distance before personnel enter a building. As there is often no GPS signal available indoors, the drone has special localization systems.
The new flying robot was developed at Empa. Today it is being continued by a subsidiary of Empa and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).
The start-up has already tested the drone on the training grounds of the Andelfingen training center and in a cement plant. In the long term, the system is to be supplemented by a mobile docking and maintenance station that can be integrated into firefighting vehicles.