TOPICS & CATEGORIES
By Cassidy Mills, Staff Writer
Central Florida Tech Grove teamed up with SERDP (Strategic Environmental Research Development Program) to host a “Table Top Exchange” (TTE) event focused on advanced ground-based autonomous vehicles and equipment for wildfire response, Jan. 24.
SERDP, the Department of Defense’s (DOD) environmental and resilience science and technology program, focuses on the development and application of innovative technologies while reducing the costs, risks and time required to resolve environmental challenges while sustaining and advancing military readiness.
“We’ve brought in industry experts in fire response technology to gather input and address the key questions that have emerged from the problem statement,” said Chris Libutti, Ph.D., research program director at Central Florida Tech Grove. “The tabletop exchange aims to identify a solution that can meet operational needs, demonstrate system capabilities for rapid deployment and integrate with existing tools the DOD may already have.”
Recent advancements in autonomous ground-based technologies, such as robotic vehicles and remotely operated systems, offer significant potential to improve wildfire response. These tools can access areas that are too dangerous for human teams and can assist with a variety of tasks, including fire line construction, mapping, monitoring and suppression activities.
“By accelerating technology acquisition, we are hopeful that our interagency partners will benefit from this advanced investment, which will help address a critical piece of the wildfire challenge,” said Kevin Hiers, program manager at SERDP. “I’m pleased to have the innovation space here at Tech Grove to help us advance our response to and management of wildfires in increasingly complex landscapes.”
The TTE provided a structured environment for stakeholders to share insights, evaluate the current landscape and determine how to best integrate these innovations into wildfire response protocols. The goal was to collaborate with industry and academic partners to advance these technologies toward a fully functional fire line solution.
Wildland fire response on and near military lands is becoming increasingly complex due to hazardous fuel conditions and a warming climate. Remotely automated equipment, developed through various DOD-funded and private-sector innovations, has already proven useful in wildfire response. However, accessing and rapidly assessing these private and academic investments is critical to improving firefighting functions in these hazardous conditions.
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