The SwiftAid Drone Swarm Vibgyor Global Initiatives is developing will help identify hot spots, dangerous areas and safe routes out, the company said.
As natural disasters continue to increase due to climate change, the goal is to use the autonomous drone swarm technology to make responses to natural disasters more efficient and faster, said Sandeep Sahani, president of Vibyor Global Initiatives.
"There is a new application of drones called Drone as First Responder, so what we want to change the paradigm is not Drone as First Responder but Drone Swarm as First Responder," he said. "It's like trying to work with one finger, but you're working with five fingers at the same time."
Using network-independent mesh technology, the drone swarms are being designed to create their own communication networks to provide real-time aerial data for disaster responses without relying on basic infrastructure, such as satellites, cell towers or WiFi, according to a statement from SwiftAid. The drone swarms can be launched "in minutes from any location with no complex setup required," according to SwiftAid Drone.
The drones then scan the area and continuously send information to first responders' devices and command centers, according to SwiftAid. Interactive maps will be used to show danger zones, hot spots, fire perimeters, safe routes and recommendations on where to send people and resources, SwiftAid stated.
The drones will also have fire prediction models to forecast spread patterns and victim detection to identify locations in need of urgent attention, SwiftAid Drone Swarm stated.
Sahani credits the technology Ukraine developed to combat Russia's invasion as "the key backbone" for inspiring the development of SwiftAid Drone Swarm. He said SwiftAid is working with technology development partners in the United States and Ukraine to develop the technology as well as unmanned aerial vehicle experts, engineers, disaster response professionals, AI experts and Connecticut manufacturing firms.
He said his company started working on SwiftAid Drone Swarm last spring and realized there was "an immense potential for helping people" with their swarm technology.
"Me and my team members said, 'What can we do to bring the benefits of such technology or technologies in a way that could help our country in a peaceful, civilized way?'" he said. "We're not aiming at any department of war business or any adversarial alignment. We're looking to solve civil problems to help people in the country."
In the past few years, parts of Connecticut have been under "extreme" fire risk and faced brush fires due to abnormally dry conditions caused by little rain. At least 31 brush fires have been reported across Connecticut this year, with the majority of fires reported between March 9 and April 11.
In October 2024, the Connecticut National Guard assisted in responding to a massive brush fire in Berlin and Meriden that killed a Wethersfield firefighter.
Sahani said SwiftAid is fundraising for the technology while it is in development and plan to have the first SwiftAids ready in August or September.
The biggest challenge is changes to federal policies and programs related to drone technology, Sahani said.
"There's no silver bullet to this," he said. "It just changes all the time ... We have the expertise, we have the knowledge. Unfortunately, our country is far behind drone technology. We hope to use it for the benefit of the communities right here in the United States."
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