Phoenix: Wildfire Prevention using an Autonomous Bionic Morphing Ornithopter and AI Models
CWSF · 2026 Environment & Climate Change Bronze Medal
Overview
Wildfire destruction, exemplified by Canada’s 2025 wildfire season, marked the second-worst in the nation’s history. In Manitoba alone, 432 fires were consuming more than 2.1 million hectares of land. The severity of such events continues to increase, further exacerbated by the rise in wildfires. This study explored the integration of an autonomous bionic morphing ornithopter with AI models to aid in wildfire prevention. The ornithopter features advanced capabilities including autonomous navigation, object detection, obstacle avoidance, infrared sensing, and temperature and humidity monitoring to identify and assess areas susceptible to wildfires. To support prevention efforts, I incorporated a natural fire-retardant solution using Aloe Vera, deployed through a custom payload mechanism. In addition, I developed an AI model using Prophet to predict fire intensity and a YOLO ML model to identify ignition sources along with their severity. The autonomous ornithopter proved to be a novel solution to the growing threat of wildfires.
Awards (2)
- Bronze Medal
- Selected for CWSF 2026
Competition history
- CWSF 2026
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