A University of Nebraska–Lincoln startup company called Drone Amplified has taken a unique approach to fight fires.

The company has developed drone-mounted technology that carries chemical spheres the size of pingpong balls, which drop and ignite at the press of a button to intentionally spark small fires that burn vegetation and starve incoming wildfires of potential fuel.

“Our product fills a niche in the market between a helicopter, which is expensive, and hand lighting, where people have to walk or take a four-wheeler,” explains Jim Higgins, chief engineer and Nebraska alumnus.

“It allows crews to ignite large, complex burns without the danger factor.”

Every task that the drone performs is automated thanks to a custom software application that the company developed. These automated tasks include mission duration, altitude, where to drop the spheres, how many to drop and the time in between each.

Users can also use the software application to create virtual boundaries—also known as geofences—that keep the UAS within select areas.

The UAS is equipped with a thermal camera, which not only helps with visibility, but also allows firefighters to conduct nighttime operations, which are generally considered off limits due to low visibility.

“It’s normally too dangerous to fly at night over a fire, but with this drone, there’s no possible risk to human life,” explains Drone Amplified CEO Carrick Detweiler.

“It provides situational awareness at night to safely fly and ignite burns, which really gives ground crews an advantage during the daytime.”

The UAS and its software have received feedback from users from the federal government, private companies and nonprofit organizations. This feedback has been used to develop new features, such as offline elevation maps, which help users fly over mountainous terrain.

“We get a lot of great responses from customers about these small features, which really makes the system work better for them,” says Evan Beachly, chief app developer, and another Nebraska graduate.

“Our software adds autonomy and mission planning, allowing users to set it all up and press ‘go.’

As a result of the recent fatalities involving firefighting helicopters, Drone Amplified is looking to scale its business to reach more customers. Thus far, the company has sold several dozen systems to companies in the United States, as well as internationally.

As the company looks to expand, Drone Amplified believes that drones will one day become a standard tool for fighting fires, as normal as picking up a firehose or calling in a bulldozer.

“I think we’re right at the leading edge of this wave of using unmanned systems in firefighting,” Detweiler says. “We want to save the lives of people doing very dangerous jobs.”