Scientists have created a drone that can withstand temperatures of up to 200°C for 10 minutes

Researchers at Imperial College London and the Swiss institute Empa have developed a "fireproof" drone that can withstand temperatures of up to 200°C for 10 minutes. The FireDrone quadcopter can be used by firefighters in their work -- and not only by them. The drone will be able to conduct reconnaissance in burning buildings and search for people in corridors filled with fire and smoke.

The FireDrone is reportedly the first heat-tolerant drone that can directly come into contact with fire. To make it resistant to high temperatures, the developers had to find a way to protect both its body and supporting structures, as well as electronics -- batteries, controllers, cameras and sensors.

The drone’s heat resistance is provided by a layer of aerogel, which forms a shell surrounding its electronics. This porous gel was created specifically for the project, and it consists mainly of air pockets within a matrix of polyimide plastic, silica. Structural reinforcement is provided by glass fibers. An aluminum outer skin additionally helps reflect heat away from the drone.

Inside the drone, additional cooling of the electronics is provided by the evaporation of gas by the CO2 sensor.

The new drone has already been tested in a thermal chamber, where it was subjected to “fire” tests at a firefighter training center. At one time, it can withstand 10 minutes in a temperature environment of 200°C.

So far, the presented drone is only a prototype, but the developers hope that sooner or later they will be able to create a commercial product, which will help save the lives of firefighters and other people during a fire.

Interestingly, the drone with a heat shield can also be used in extremely low temperatures, too, in the Arctic and Antarctic. A prototype drone has already been tested in a tunnel on a glacier in Switzerland.