AI DRONES TO BE USED IN DETECTING BLAZES

[Anchor Lead]

Detecting fires early on is vital for saving lives. AI drones will soon be used to detect blazes. They will likely be first deployed to detect wildfires, which are difficult to put out in the early stages due to their scale.

[Pkg]

[Soundbite] "Mission information, distance and altitude all normal. Ready to fly."

A drone with a small camera flies in the sky. It's a wildfire detection drone jointly developed by a Korean telecom company and a startup firm. The drone flies according to a pre-established route. It stops every two thousand square meters to detect sparks and smoke.

[Soundbite] "Arrived at No. 9. Fire warning. Fire."

It only takes two seconds to detect a fire. Equipped with AI, this drone uses a color detection camera to identify the color and shape of smoke and flames. When a blaze is suspected, it switches to a thermal camera to measure the exact temperature and notify the control room. The device has learned 560,000 pieces of data over the past year to detect the shape of flames and smoke in the wind up to 150 meters above ground. When the longitude and latitude of a patrol area and time are entered in advance, the drone can perform the entire process without human intervention.

[Soundbite] Sohn Keun-shik(Fire Insurers Laboratories of Korea) : "When a smart drone detects a fire or smoke, people can report them faster and respond quickly."

The drone could help prevent massive deadly fires like the one at a Coupang logistics center a few weeks ago.

[Soundbite] Chung Kuk-hee(LG U+) : "This drone has mostly learned videos about fire detection, but it could be used for more diverse purposes such as public security, construction sites and service scenarios."

Being able to detect more than 96 percent of fires of any form, the AI drone has become the first in the country to be certified by the Fire Insurers Laboratories of Korea.