Heat-shielded drone for fire/emergency response
Heat-shielded drone with pre-programmed flight paths, live camera feed, remote control and more
Description
Having seen a drone pop up in almost every Hyve contest, I must admit that I was mildly disappointed to NOT see any mentioned here, as of May 28th. So, now let's rectify that shortcoming :-) In a fire or emergency that makes parts of a building hard to have "eyes inside," a drone will be useful - and I suggest pre-programming various flight paths in it, because rapid flight and responses may be necessary in a fire. For example, to check if any humans are trapped, how a fire is spreading, where interior temperatures are at, if existing fire suppression systems have deployed (or have they failed unexpectedly - insurance companies need to know such details), etc. A drone is quite affordable, and SME owners can appreciate its uses outside fire/emergency scenarios, too - for example, to surveil parts of their factories/warehouses that are not well-covered by installed cameras, etc. A reasonably-priced drone can also be upgraded with thermal imaging and feed relay, or even with a pod to carry and drop fire retardants (e.g. lightweight spheres that release fire retardant into a fire scene). To add to its competitive moat, Allianz can partner with a drone manufacturer to develop a heat-shielded and flame resistant drone, capable of enduring heat and flames within reasonable limits, and selling a suitable software/hardware/maintenance/service offering around such drones.
References
Instead of fire-igniting spheres, consider the possibility of a drone delivering fire retardants in a fire inside a building/factory/warehouse: http://wildfiretoday.com/2016/04/22/using-a-drone-to-ignite-a-prescribed-fire/