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Maybe this could work as a B2G route, like the guys making the firefighting helicopters selling to CalFire. But yeah, this smells like they are trying to find a

Maybe this could work as a B2G route, like the guys making the firefighting helicopters selling to CalFire. But yeah, this smells like they are trying to find a way to privatize firefighting, which is not cool (pardon the pun)

jabretti 9y ago
It seems to me more like they're just trying to build firefighting drones. It's not clear to me that they have any actual insight into how said drones might help, or how firefighting is done at the moment.
- twic 9y ago
  Surely it's simply a question of putting fire on the blockchain?
- giarc 9y ago
  I volunteered for a search and rescue organization for awhile. There was some interest in drones simply to get overhead video of a collapsed building etc. Currently you are limited to walking over the rubble. If you could have a drone fly overhead and identify victims or unsafe areas, it could really help.
  - 33W 9y ago
    Something on the scale of the Raven UAV would make sense for that application: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AeroVironment_RQ-11_Raven https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AeroVironment_RQ-11_Raven
- sjg007 9y ago
  Those big super tankers operate at like $1m a day.. drones seem like they would be mosquitos in comparison. Maybe useful for spotting fires but I think satellite are the best plus traditional look outs. AI for sat images to spot wildfires is probably already done. It could track storms (lightning etc..). A bigger issue for wildfires is removing fuel sources which nobody does. A wet winter and spring fuels fire season. Improving fire code is more likely to have a bigger impact. This is basically all about money though.
  - dreamcompiler 9y ago
    Airborne drones can't carry enough water to be useful for extinguishment, but land-based drones could, and a swarm of mini-bulldozers to clear a fireline would be even better. Getting them to work reliably in rough terrain with lots of vegetation would be a big challenge though.
civilian 9y ago
The problem isn't privatization, it's the payment structure. Crassus should have set up an insurance or subscription based system. I imagine that a firefighting startup would not actually replace the operations of fire departments, they would simply sell products to fire departments. One example of that is Active911: https://www.active911.com/ https://www.active911.com/ They sell a product that allows notifications to be pushed through multiple communication methods, and allows coordination of first response.
- Balgair 9y ago
  Crassus seems like he did just fine as it was. He was the richest man in Roman history (excepting Augustus) :) Then again, he was instrumental in turning the Republic into Empire, so he's a bit of a mixed bag. Yeah, I think they want a 'greaser' company that will help smooth out governmental workings, FF deployments, and other stuff. Building drones is hardware, and hardware is bad at 'scaling.' Especially, since this kind of hardware is so 'critical' and probably need a lot of testing.
  - icebraining 9y ago
    There's a startup in Germany that only has about 20 employees, yet they produce "professional" VTOL fixed-wing drones for businesses and such, and make churn one out every three minutes. https://www.quantum-systems.com/ https://www.quantum-systems.com/ (Not affiliated, just heard of them in the Omega Tau podcast, which by the way I strongly recommend!)
    - seanmcdirmid 9y ago
      With that name, you'd think they'd be into quantum computers or quantum encryption lines, not drones.

jabretti 9y ago

It seems to me more like they're just trying to build firefighting drones. It's not clear to me that they have any actual insight into how said drones might help, or how firefighting is done at the moment.

twic 9y ago
Surely it's simply a question of putting fire on the blockchain?
giarc 9y ago
I volunteered for a search and rescue organization for awhile. There was some interest in drones simply to get overhead video of a collapsed building etc. Currently you are limited to walking over the rubble. If you could have a drone fly overhead and identify victims or unsafe areas, it could really help.
- 33W 9y ago
  Something on the scale of the Raven UAV would make sense for that application: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AeroVironment_RQ-11_Raven https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AeroVironment_RQ-11_Raven
sjg007 9y ago
Those big super tankers operate at like $1m a day.. drones seem like they would be mosquitos in comparison. Maybe useful for spotting fires but I think satellite are the best plus traditional look outs. AI for sat images to spot wildfires is probably already done. It could track storms (lightning etc..). A bigger issue for wildfires is removing fuel sources which nobody does. A wet winter and spring fuels fire season. Improving fire code is more likely to have a bigger impact. This is basically all about money though.
- dreamcompiler 9y ago
  Airborne drones can't carry enough water to be useful for extinguishment, but land-based drones could, and a swarm of mini-bulldozers to clear a fireline would be even better. Getting them to work reliably in rough terrain with lots of vegetation would be a big challenge though.

civilian 9y ago

The problem isn't privatization, it's the payment structure. Crassus should have set up an insurance or subscription based system. I imagine that a firefighting startup would not actually replace the operations of fire departments, they would simply sell products to fire departments. One example of that is Active911: https://www.active911.com/ https://www.active911.com/ They sell a product that allows notifications to be pushed through multiple communication methods, and allows coordination of first response.

Balgair 9y ago
Crassus seems like he did just fine as it was. He was the richest man in Roman history (excepting Augustus) :) Then again, he was instrumental in turning the Republic into Empire, so he's a bit of a mixed bag. Yeah, I think they want a 'greaser' company that will help smooth out governmental workings, FF deployments, and other stuff. Building drones is hardware, and hardware is bad at 'scaling.' Especially, since this kind of hardware is so 'critical' and probably need a lot of testing.
- icebraining 9y ago
  There's a startup in Germany that only has about 20 employees, yet they produce "professional" VTOL fixed-wing drones for businesses and such, and make churn one out every three minutes. https://www.quantum-systems.com/ https://www.quantum-systems.com/ (Not affiliated, just heard of them in the Omega Tau podcast, which by the way I strongly recommend!)
  - seanmcdirmid 9y ago
    With that name, you'd think they'd be into quantum computers or quantum encryption lines, not drones.