Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

This project aims to develop a novel hazard detection system to support a patented in-air wildfire fighting system*that has been developed and manufactured by industry partner Aerial X Equipment Inc. This compact,*suspended-load system generates foam on-site to suppress wildfires. The typical scene of an active wildfire is a*very hectic environment with multiple aerial vehicles operating simultaneously. Currently, the helicopter pilot is*responsible for making decisions to release at the fire sites, which adds complexity to the firefighting operations*and leads to resistance to adopting new technology.*This proposed collaboration between Aerial X and a team of faculty and student researchers at Sheridan Colleges*School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Technology, utilizing the Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and*Design Technologies (Brampton, Ontario), aims to equip this system with pilot-independent spatial awareness*through the addition of a terrain scanning and processing module. By combining cutting-edge, multi-spectrum*terrain scanning and image processing technologies, the proposed hazard detection system will be able to: 1)*scan for obstacles and terrain in the vicinity; 2) process acquired images in real-time; and 3) assess the hazards*and detected obstacles. This system will reduce pilot distraction in-flight and lead to safer and faster operations.*The overall competitiveness of the product will be enhanced as well.*The terrain scanning and processing module will also provide a framework to further explore additional novel*features, such as obstacle warning and tangle-triggered release.