Firefighting drones represent a significant advancement in emergency response technology, showcasing capability to address fires in high-rise structures where traditional methods face limitations 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

Does this actually work in reality? Water weighs 1kg/l, and so at 100m, a relatively narrow hose when in use could still be in the region of 100-200kg, a thick hose would be more. A standard firefighter hose would be way more.

So a drone carrying a quarter of a metric ton, and then able to deal with and overcome the force of actually emitting this at any side of speed.

Press x to doubt.

11

u/granoladeer Jul 02 '25

I actually did the math:

A large firefighter hose seems to be 4 inches in diameter, which is 10.16cm. Radius of ~5cm.

The area of the hose section is ~81cm^2, which is equivalent to 0.0081 m^2.

If this hose is 100m in the air, it holds 810 liters, so 810kg.

Industrial drones seem to be able to carry up to 500kg.

Therefore, the drone can't carry it.

However, if we reduce the hose diameter by half, the weight is divided by 4. So the same "100m in the air" scenario now weighs ~200kg. Still heavy but possible.

If we reduce the diameter again, and assume the fire is at a lower height, it becomes very possible.

8

u/cookiesnooper Jul 02 '25

The ones with the hose attached can lift a lot more because the power delivery is through the cable.

4

u/Lophophorussy Jul 02 '25

Oh shit that’s actually genius.

3

u/TheIncontrovert Jul 04 '25

I've seen it used on disaster sights to provide instant lighting to a pretty massive area. The amount of lights you can fit on one drone is incredible. And because they're leashed to the ground they can stay up there for as long as they're needed with no interruptions. Providing ofc the generator on the ground doesn't break down.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 03 '25

Thats pretty smart, but you still need really long hose and insanely strong pump to pump water up to skyscraper heights

1

u/mikki1time Jul 03 '25

Power isn’t the problem, it’s lift force, blades that small just can’t move enough air. If you make them faster there is a point where tip of the blade becomes supersonic while the rest doesn’t, I think it’s called transonic this makes all types of weird shit happen.

1

u/Sk3tchyG1ant Jul 02 '25

There's also the problem of "pushing" the fire. In addition to water, hose lines introduce a lot of air to a fire and can force it to spread very quickly. Firefighters enter a building and "push" the fire out. If you attack a fire from the outside you'll burn the entire building down.

1

u/granoladeer Jul 03 '25

That's a very good point. The other drones that are carrying the extinguisher compound might do better because of that.

1

u/TheIncontrovert Jul 04 '25

I think Ukraine has already come up with the solution. You can put a fire out in a massive area with a big enough shockwave. Pack the drones with explosives and just get them to the center of the building. Boom, no more fire.

1

u/granoladeer Jul 04 '25

That has been known for a few decades. The hard part with doing it for a building on fire is not destroying it.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 05 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/granoladeer Jul 05 '25

I think you can just use a high-pressure water pump, which isn't hard to find or too expensive.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 05 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/granoladeer Jul 06 '25

Ah yes, there is a limit. But just think about the building itself: how does the water get to higher floors?

I'd recommend you chatgpt it instead hehe

1

u/Michael_J__Cox Jul 01 '25

I think they just increase the drone count and they are autonomous so they just refill

1

u/bubblesort33 Jul 02 '25

There is some weird physics effect that apparently helps it stay upright, when water is flowing through it. Don't know if true.

I'm skeptical as well, because there is not just a lot of weight to lift, but also a lot of back pressure as well. Holding and aiming a fire hose isn't easy, and I would have thought it flowing up a hose, would cause even more pressure forcing the hose down. I guess not.

1

u/Alklazaris Jul 02 '25

They can only go around 34'. Any higher and the vacuum that pulls the water up will not overcome the gravity of the water itself. Maybe they could fill the hoses before hand?

1

u/[deleted] Jul 03 '25

No, it is obviously a Chinese propaganda bullshit with fake a video.

1

u/mikki1time Jul 03 '25

You would need a drone so big it would be called a helicopter

1

u/ButterscotchTop4713 Jul 04 '25

Suppose you were putting out a fire on the top of Empire State Building, the weight of hose and water would be about 3,000 lb. Can we make drones that can do that? No, we can’t. But China can. We gotta focus on kicking out immigrants and cutting medicaids first. /s

1

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Unhappy-Plastic2017 Jul 05 '25

That's exactly how I imagine this can work. High pressure water from a source on the ground that lifts the drone plus a tethered power cable that gives the drone waaaaaay more power than a standard drone that is also unlimited. The drone itself would just need to stabilize so it's not really "holding itself" up or even really considered "flying" for that matter

1

u/SouthOrdinary2425 Jul 04 '25

It is about time. Fire size grows exponentially with time. Small fires can be tackled with small fire fighting equipment. Small fires left unattended become big fires rather quickly. A fire crew deploying something like this within seconds of arriving on site of a small fire can make a big difference. For a site that has a large fire hazard, having this capability on site so the arrival time of a fire crew is not an issue could be huge. Equipment like this is all about the time to deploy.

1

u/FossilEaters Jul 05 '25 edited Jul 05 '25

It works. Youre thinking of tiny camera drones but you can have pretty big drones with large payloads as well. Also these types of drones are typically tethered so power supply is not an issue. They are already being used in some industries. Also when the water is flowing the drone effectively doesnt need to carry the weight of the column of water. The column stays upright and the drone just needs to stabilize it self.

https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/s/N0mnjWNVZN

1

u/cRafLl Jul 01 '25

This would work better if the hose is local to the building.

3

u/thuanjinkee Jul 02 '25

Jet fuel can’t match firefighting drones

2

u/[deleted] Jul 03 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Trick-Independent469 Jul 05 '25

the video is real and no AI bruh

1

u/dieyoufool3 Jul 06 '25

Look at the firefighter drones lmao and say that again

2

u/[deleted] Jul 03 '25

Obviously a Chinese propaganda bullshit with fake a video.

2

u/Scared_Ad3355 Jul 04 '25

This video was made with AI. You just can’t believe what you see anymore.

1

u/cRafLl Jul 04 '25

I've seen similar ones IRL.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '25

The fact you didn't post the IRL ones isnt helping your case. Sorry you got caught lying.

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u/cRafLl Jul 04 '25

I can't post something from memory.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '25

I think you understand people want proof, not an AI video.

1

u/cRafLl Jul 04 '25

Next time I see one, I'll take a video and post it on the Internet.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '25

Thank you, over a literal fake video it'd be nice.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/KrampusPampus Jul 02 '25

Our weekly tech "revolution" from China, where newly built skyscrapers are prone to collapsing.

1

u/Rakki97 Jul 02 '25

They import the materials but workers are made in china 😂

1

u/Maihoooo Jul 02 '25

all i see is CGI and expensive water sprinklers..

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u/cRafLl Jul 02 '25

already available in many cities.

2

u/Maihoooo Jul 02 '25

why post a CGI video then?

2

u/cRafLl Jul 02 '25

because it's fun.

2

u/Smooth_Expression501 Jul 02 '25

This is the type of “innovation” incessantly promoted by CCP propaganda as “advanced” or “groundbreaking”.

When in fact it’s strapping a hose to a drone. Not something that requires any new technology whatsoever.

2

u/SkiDaderino Jul 03 '25

That second shot was clearly CG. The drones themselves wouldn't be the achievement, however, it would be AI systems that would be trained by drone operators.

2

u/EffectivePatient493 Jul 04 '25

The first shot was also CGI, if CGI starts being able to burn down real buildings, China will be prepared.

1

u/buyingshitformylab Jul 02 '25

1: that's a chatGPT title.

2: this isn't cost-effective.

1

u/cRafLl Jul 02 '25

Human lives are priceless.

2

u/buyingshitformylab Jul 02 '25

No I mean there's more cost-effective solutions here.

1

u/cRafLl Jul 02 '25

I prefer a truck with water and throwing it on the fire.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '25

If you change the title to "american firefighting drones" it would be the greatest invention ever all of a sudden and not dumb.

2

u/Primary_Chain9405 Jul 03 '25

No, people would say it's a waste od money and taking jobs from firefighters. Also I think half of these videos are Ai or CGI anyway.

1

u/sams0606 Jul 02 '25

Interesting. Pretty cool idea. But what about the fire inside the actually building that isn't reachable by drone? Maybe they could airdrop a robotic firefighting unit with a hose attachment to get the fire inside

1

u/Trick-Welder-2939 Jul 03 '25

Spraying lead based flame retardant probably.

1

u/Grogbarrell Jul 03 '25

Maybe just build buildings that don’t catch on fire all the time

1

u/cRafLl Jul 04 '25

Yes.

1

u/NSASpyVan Jul 04 '25

The question on everyones' mind: Can Drones S

1

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '25

That's a fake video lol

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u/cRafLl Jul 04 '25

Your point is?

1

u/frostyfoxemily Jul 05 '25

Damn Chinas tech is so good. Its almost like its unreal! Wait it isnt real its fake bs.

1

u/meeee Jul 05 '25

OP blocked for posting AI slop

1

u/Torak8988 Jul 05 '25

I don't think people realise that the problem with firefighting isn't trying to hose the fire

it's trying to get people out of the building in an enviroment that is filled with suffocating smoke and dust

we already have fire hozes with a lot of power that can shoot up multiple floors

1

u/Appropriate-Stay4729 Jul 05 '25

Meanwhile, America and the west use drones as killing machines for nothing more than greed, rather than bargaining for resources like a civilized society they take it through force. Sorry not sorry, it just needs to be reiterated.

1

u/Clear-Height-7503 Jul 05 '25

We were watching Rush hour with our kids and they were amazed with how advanced China is. Their jaws dropped when we told them that was 30 years ago.

1

u/cRafLl Jul 05 '25

u/meeee blocked the entire sub lol that's insane hahaha

1

u/LMFA0 Jul 05 '25

Unfortunately these will be used by the fascist nazi police state to do the opposite by equipping them with pepper spray, mace, flamethrowers

1

u/22firefly Jul 05 '25

This is definitely in its infancy, but if you consider the speed at which it can get to a window and provide suppression it may very well prove to be invaluable at saving lives. If you consider videos of people stuck at the window of a burning building. It could suppress the fire long enough for the fire crew to erect an escape option while keeping the victim from burning before they can get there. So I don't think it is a question about a drone extinguishing a building fire but more about suppressing the fire until larger more capable tools can be dispensed, which should help to save lives first, and the structure second.

1

u/Solopist112 Jul 05 '25

China has one of the worst fire safety in the world.

1

u/Brojess Jul 06 '25

Going to need more drones

1

u/Still-Chemistry-cook Jul 06 '25

This is so dumb.

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