As smoke from Northern California fires continues to choke the Bay Area, and fire concerns continue to grow, a Bay Area startup is testing a robot that might help us avoid the next big fire.
The “BurnBot” is a tool meant to help with controlled burns that are key to helping cut down on overall fire risk.
Its goal is to help firefighters make those burns safer and more efficient.
"And that ensures that even if there is a fire, it'll reach that fuel break and will stop there,” said Anukool Lakhina, CEO of BurnBot
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With an electric generator inside, the BurnBot -- which comes in a full- sized version for large areas, and a smaller one for clearing defensible space around homes -- helps fire crews create the firebreaks that keep wildfires from growing.
"This is a mobile burn chamber,” said Lakhina. “As it moves, it ignites everything inside that chamber, and it ensures there's no chance of escape, because it has water sprayers on the edges.”
BurnBot is a San Francisco startup and it's been tested by Cal Fire, which does prescribed burns all the time.
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"And we're doing it as fast as we can, but we also recognize that new technology can help us get it done faster, safer, and better,” said Len Nielson, Cal Fire’s chief of presided fire.
It's also being tested by PG&E to clear away brush and other fuels.
BurnBot said it charges about $1,000 an acre for the whole package.
That can be anything from a controlled burn in a forest, to clearing defensible space around your home.
