As populations increase and building densities rise, high-rise buildings are in particular threat of fires. Fire rescue ladders and the length of fire hoses are usually under 50 meters, and their operations are oftentimes restricted to one side of the building. Simultaneously, traffic can also play a role in delaying the firefighters from reaching the location in time, as most high-rise buildings are located in the heart of cities.
China Fire Magazine conducted a survey which showed that 233,000 fires were reported across the country in 2019, among which 6,974 cases occurred in high-rise buildings. Thankfully, EHang has developed an intelligent firefighting drone that offers a better and safer alternative for dealing with high-rise fires.
The new firefighting version of EHang 216, “EHang 216F”, is specifically designed for high-rise firefighting. In a single trip, the drone can carry six fire extinguisher bombs and 150 liters of firefighting foam with the ability to fly within a radius of 5 kilometers from the station. This cargo should be enough to eradicate fire in one or more buildings, but since drones can work in groups, multiple 216Fs can be deployed to extinguish the fire even faster or for larger fires.
The intelligent 216F can quickly identify the location of fire via its visible-light zoom camera. Once the camera identifies the fire, it hovers exactly in position and uses laser aiming to fire a window breaker, followed by fire extinguishing “bombs” and a full-range spray of white firefighting foam.
China has over 1400 skyscrapers taller than 150 meters, of which 48 are 300 meters. The firefighting drones can fly at an altitude of 600 meters, which is more than enough to reach the building’s top. The only skyscraper that doesn’t make the cut is China’s tallest high-rise in Shanghai – the Shanghai Tower, at 632 meters. However, these drones are ideal for providing quick assistance to a burning building while waiting for the actual fire-fighters to arrive at its destination.
Until recently, EHang has focused on making multi-copter drones, which are passenger drones used as air taxis and tourism. EHang also partnered with LN Holdings to build the world’s first passenger drone hotel. The creators haven’t announced the firefighting version’s performance specs, but the passenger version can reach top speeds of 80 mph (130 km/h) and has a maximum flight time of 21 minutes.
The fully armed EHang 216F AAVs with the command-and-control system offers a solution for a wide range of services, including rescue, investigation, emergency management, and firefighting. The fire-fighting drones are currently being tested in Yunfu. The company plans to expand operations across China before eventually making its way to the rest of the world.
