Dryad Networks’ Solar-Powered Gas Sensors Sniff Out Fire
One of the nicest things about MWC is the ability to track advancement of technology, and this is why I was delighted to chat with Carsten Brinkshulte today. Carsten is the founder and CEO of Dryad Networks, an innovator that we first met on the TechArena podcast last year. The firm has a vision of creating a network of the forests, deploying solar powered gas sensors to sniff out fire, even before the point of ignition. With visions of LA fires still raw, and the global threat of wildfires growing more acute daily, Dryad's mission is both urgent and essential.
Carsten had returned to Europe from Thailand, just in time for MWC, where the Dryad team has partnered with the Thai government to deploy over 50,000 sensors in a national forest outside of Chiang Mai. This is a large-scale deployment compared to the POCs he'd shared last year, and the network was put through its paces to ensure quality performance. This started with sensor and base station deployments, all done at least three meters off the ground, and carefully hung to prevent injury to the trees. Once the network was in place, the Thai government put it to the test, with both a large and small scheduled burn. The sensors sniffed out the beginnings of fire within 6 minutes, fulfilling the mission of early detection as planned. Their rugged design ensured their continued operation despite exposure to high temperatures.
But that's not all. Days later, another alert was signaled, which the team thought was a false positive. After a couple hour hike through the jungle, the team found a smoldering tree, which had been overlooked when maintaining the controlled burn. Here was proof that even smoldering gas triggered the sensor as planned, and with this deployment, this corner of forest floor is now a bit safer from fire.
With deployments scaling, I expect to hear more about Dryad in the months ahead, including advancement on Carsten's broader vision for the company. I have to admit that this combination of sensor technology and mesh network, all powered by solar cells, is one of the TechArena team's favorite tech use cases. After all, we hail from the Pacific Northwest, and forest protection speaks deeply to us.
One of the nicest things about MWC is the ability to track advancement of technology, and this is why I was delighted to chat with Carsten Brinkshulte today. Carsten is the founder and CEO of Dryad Networks, an innovator that we first met on the TechArena podcast last year. The firm has a vision of creating a network of the forests, deploying solar powered gas sensors to sniff out fire, even before the point of ignition. With visions of LA fires still raw, and the global threat of wildfires growing more acute daily, Dryad's mission is both urgent and essential.
Carsten had returned to Europe from Thailand, just in time for MWC, where the Dryad team has partnered with the Thai government to deploy over 50,000 sensors in a national forest outside of Chiang Mai. This is a large-scale deployment compared to the POCs he'd shared last year, and the network was put through its paces to ensure quality performance. This started with sensor and base station deployments, all done at least three meters off the ground, and carefully hung to prevent injury to the trees. Once the network was in place, the Thai government put it to the test, with both a large and small scheduled burn. The sensors sniffed out the beginnings of fire within 6 minutes, fulfilling the mission of early detection as planned. Their rugged design ensured their continued operation despite exposure to high temperatures.
But that's not all. Days later, another alert was signaled, which the team thought was a false positive. After a couple hour hike through the jungle, the team found a smoldering tree, which had been overlooked when maintaining the controlled burn. Here was proof that even smoldering gas triggered the sensor as planned, and with this deployment, this corner of forest floor is now a bit safer from fire.
With deployments scaling, I expect to hear more about Dryad in the months ahead, including advancement on Carsten's broader vision for the company. I have to admit that this combination of sensor technology and mesh network, all powered by solar cells, is one of the TechArena team's favorite tech use cases. After all, we hail from the Pacific Northwest, and forest protection speaks deeply to us.
