Seneca stated its aerial suppression belongings could be hand-carried, transported with a utility car, or stationed and deployed remotely. | Supply: Seneca
Seneca this week emerged from stealth with the objective of constructing autonomous aerial techniques that use synthetic intelligence to seek out and assault fires early. The corporate has raised $60 million in funding to advance its objective of delivering highly effective hearth suppression.
The startup stated it might probably lengthen the attain of firefighters, utilities, and communities in conditions that have been as soon as unsafe, inefficient, or not possible. The crew has to this point demonstrated the product’s capabilities on stay hearth and with hearth businesses in 4 states.
“One of the best a part of constructing during the last yr has been to observe the product evolve — concentrating on accuracy enhancements, payload will increase, security enhancements, usability upgrades — and to see firefighters react to new options with every technology,” stated Seneca.
Seneca founders work with firefighters
Seneca stated its founding crew contains:
To develop the know-how, they labored with hearth leaders together with Chief Dan Munsey of San Bernardino, Calif.; Chief Brian Fennessy of Orange County, Calif.; Chief Jake Andersen of Aspen, Colo.; and Chief Shepley Schroth-Cary of Gold Ridge, Calif.
Seneca stated these collaborations make sure that its product offers speedy worth to these combating fires. The corporate’s advisory board contains individuals with lengthy observe data within the hearth service, together with:
- Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, a former U.S. hearth administrator
- John Mills, founder and CEO of Watch Obligation
- Rick Balentine, a 25-year chief of the Aspen Fireplace Division
Caffeinated Capital and Convective Capital led the funding spherical. It additionally included participation from First Spherical Capital, Transition VC, Advance Enterprise Companions, Nextview Ventures, Bullpen Capital, Stepstone Group, DCVC, Offline Ventures, Roar Capital, Good Pals, Sluggish Ventures, and MHS Capital.
Seneca stated it plans to make use of the funding to enhance its capabilities, harden the general system, enhance manufacturing, and roll out the primary techniques to the sphere to avoid wasting lives through the 2026 hearth season.
Drones present potential in firefighting
Wildfire depth has almost tripled during the last 20 years, based on Seneca. This has value the U.S. economic system round $1 trillion per yr, upended hundreds of lives, and destroyed wild areas and communities. Seneca, like many different builders, believes drones and robotics may help remedy this drawback.
In late 2023, Rain, a developer of aerial wildfire containment know-how, and Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin firm specializing in superior rotorcraft, accomplished take a look at flights utilizing an autonomous helicopter. The system carried and dumped water onto wildfires within the very early phases.
The flight demonstration occurred at Sikorsky’s headquarters in Stratford, Conn. The Optionally Piloted Black Hawk helicopter flew in autonomous mode with Sikorsky security pilots on board.
Different firms, like Kodama Methods, are taking a extra proactive method by utilizing applied sciences, together with teleoperation and automation, to enhance forest administration operations. The corporate has developed an autonomous skidder to assist in forest thinning, which may help stop wildfires from burning uncontrolled.
Startups in government-funded sector face challenges
Whereas there’s definitely a rising want for applied sciences that may assist struggle wildfires, startups nonetheless face struggles on this space. Lots of them depend on authorities funding to remain afloat, making them weak to coverage adjustments.
Robotics 88, which received the Pitchfire competitors on the 2024 RoboBusiness occasion, used drones to offer autonomous subcanopy surveys of gas masses for prescribed burn planning.
The Boston startup closed its doorways earlier this yr. Erin Linebarger, founder and CEO of Robotics 88, instructed The Robotic Report that she hopes to make the corporate’s IP open-source to assist efforts to struggle wildfires.