The summer of 2022 saw the United States grappling with severe wildfires that consumed millions of acres. The National Interagency Fire Center reported 66,255 fires that burned 7,534,403 acres. Warmer springs, prolonged dry spells, and parched soils have extended the wildfire season. Amid this crisis, a team developed “Robotics for Wildfire Protection and Mitigation.”

The concept originated during Microsoft Global Hackathon 2022, as the Mosquito fire in California burned 76,788 acres over two months. Witnessing the impact on lives and the tragic losses among firefighters, Lou Amadio, a Principal Architect in Washington state, felt compelled to act. “My home is in a wildfire-prone area. Every year we watch helplessly as fires spring up and are valiantly fought by firefighters across the state,” says Lou, who proposed the Wildfire Robotics Hackathon plan.”Coudl robots help with early detection, or keep firefighters safe while fighting wildfires?” The team embarked on an ambitious initiative.

This decision led to two distinct paths: one exploring human-robot interaction, and another advancing the understanding of wildfire protection and mitigation.

Through iterations, the team achieved technical breakthroughs. “We wanted to test several hypotheses around robots helping fight fires by keeping firefighters at a safe distance from flames and potentially harmful chemicals,” explained Dan Rosenstein, Principal Group Program Manager.

Transporting water posed a challenge, so the team drew inspiration from “fire extinguisher balls” that disperse monoammonium phosphate, a dry chemical suppressant that extinguishes fires and acts as a fertilizer.

The team explored integrating robots into command-and-control software. “TAK, the Team Awareness Kit software introduced by the U.S. government and contractors,is being widely adopted by disaster response agencies. We developed a software adapter that allows the robots to report their positions and receive path plans from team leaders,” said Lou.

The project highlighted opportunities for wildfire protection enhancements. The team learned that the “mop-up” phase poses risks to firefighters due to flare-ups. Robots can scan for “hot spots,” sharing geolocated markers for air drops or suppression. Many firefighters have died in such flare-ups.”If we can deploy robots and drones to scan for ‘hot spots,’ they can share geolocated markers for air drops or suppression from afar. We faced numerous challenges, but our determination and collaborative spirit kept us going,” emphasized Dan.

Dan beamed, “the hackathon is for all of us. There’s learning, there’s a business challenge, there’s opportunity, there’s a chance to brush up on coding skills, and this germinates the desire to do Hackathon again.” Ed Essey shared,”This is an vital project that is helping save lives. It also uncovers how early-stage innovation can reveal unexpected opportunities.”

These opportunities led to two trails: one illuminating systemic challenges in wildfire response, and another opening possibilities for human-robot collaboration.

the first trail revealed foundational opportunities in wildland firefighting, requiring a digital transformation from printed maps to digital tools. This exposed barriers like limited budgets and the need for phased technology adoption. With scarce funding, robotics remain out of reach, prompting a pivot toward cost-effective solutions and advocacy for increased investment. Traditional practices are widespread, making training essential to build trust in digital tools.

The second trail led toward human-robot collaboration. The Hackathon led to a Teams-based interface for human-robot-AI interaction, enabling remote robot control. This demonstrated the potential to expand to human-robot-AI teaming. The work sparked initiatives,influenced company direction,and generated innovation.

The project continues to evolve, advancing with new goals and initiatives, and making positive change in wildfire protection and mitigation.