Drone Hopper is remote-controlled aircraft that incorporates a container unit to hold liquids that can be used for firefighting, propelling nebulised liquid to be directed towards land. In Europe, fires destroy millions of hectares of forest woodlands causing the loss of many human and fauna lives and an immense economic damage. The company has created an innovative technology for wildfire extinguishment thanks to a patented release mechanism that convert the water into small water drops (water mist) and mixes it with the air creating a wet air flow that suffocates the fire by removing the oxygen from the chemical combustion reaction. Apart from the technical novelty, there are several operational and economic benefits that make it a viable commercial proposition to compete widely in the market for fire management with its primary customers being the public administrations responsible, or the subcontracted private companies. In addition to the application of the technology in firefighting, the systems are perfectly adaptable to discharge other types of liquid, such as fertilizers and fumigation for agricultural management. The main focus of the feasibility study is to identify the initial high-potential target European markets to trial and launch the service in the first 3 years of commercialization, as well as to assess in more detail the international competitive landscape and identify market risks to determine opportunities and threats. The next step would be to devise a marketing and sales strategy. Forest fires are the most important threat to forest and wooded area in Southern Europe. Our project will face the European challenges proposed by Legislation on protecting the EU's forests against fire. Investments in firefighting and fire prevention is essential. Europe is has supported forest fire research since the late 1980s with the aim of strengthening research activities and initiatives such as Drone Hopper.

Considering the socio-ecological transition of Europe 2030, and towards a more resilient and informed community, focusing on the forests that are near wildfire risk, TREEADS aims to build upon state-of-the-art high TRL products and unite them in a holistic Fire Management platform that optimize and reuse per phase the available Socio-technological Resources in all three main phases of Wildfires. For the prevention and preparedness TREEADS propose the use of a real-time risk evaluation tool that can receive multiple classification inputs and work with a new proposed neural network-powered Risk factor indicator. To create a model of Fire adapted communities (FAC) in parallel to insurance incentives, TREEADS will use alkali activated construction materials (AAM) integrating post-wildfires wood ashes (PWA) for fire-resilient buildings and infrastructure. TREEADS also uses a variety of technological solutions such as the Copernicus infrastructure, and a swarm of small drones customized for accurate forest supervision. In the area of Detection TREEADS propose a variety of toolsets that will accommodate most needs. Stemming from Virtual reality for the training, wearables for the protective equipment of the emergency responders. to UAV (drones), UAG and airships for improving capacity in temporal and spatial analysis as well as to increase the inspected area coverage. Last, TREEADS will build a new land and field-based restoration initiative that will use all modern techniques such as agroforestry, drones for seed spread, Internet of things sensors that will be able to adapt the seeding process based on the ground needs and on the same time with the help of AI to determine post-fire risks factors. TREEADS solution will be demonstrated and validated under real operating conditions. Demonstration will involve Eight complex pilot implementations executed in seven EU countries and in Taiwan.

The WILD HOPPER project represents a transformative leap in wildfire management technology, addressing the urgent need for enhanced firefighting capabilities across Europe. This pioneering initiative utilizes heavy-duty multirotor drones with a proprietary water mist jet system, designed to revolutionize wildfire response. The WILD HOPPER can operate continuously, including during night-time and adverse weather conditions, overcoming the limitations of traditional manned aircraft which are restricted to daylight operations. Featuring a payload capacity of 600 liters, the drone employs advanced thermal engines and a patented water mist technology to deliver precise, high-penetration water dispersion, optimizing fire suppression efficiency. Significantly, WILD HOPPER eliminates risks to human lives by allowing platform management from a secure ground base, thus safeguarding personnel. Compared to conventional aerial firefighting methods, WILD HOPPER is notably more cost-effective, making it feasible for small and medium regional bodies to deploy their own rapid-response resources. The simplicity of its design translates to reduced ownership costs, while its capacity for swarm operation enables coordinated deployment of multiple units to enhance overall effectiveness. This innovation aligns with the European Union's strategic objectives as outlined in Horizon Europe, particularly under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (Article 10 of Regulation (EU) 2019/420), which advocates for advanced technologies that improve disaster response and resilience. By addressing these priorities, the WILD HOPPER project promises substantial benefits for Europe, including improved wildfire management, reduced economic impacts, and enhanced safety for communities and ecosystems.

DRONE HOPPER is a technological start-up founded in 2015 and devoted to the design, production and operation of drones or Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) for firefighting. Drones have the potential to overcome the limitations of helicopters and hydroplanes in firefighting, as no lives would be put at risks even during night operations and offering the possibility to fly at low altitudes to improve effectiveness. However, nowadays the use of drones in fires is limited to monitoring, surveillance and data collection tasks because current drone technologies based on electrical systems lack the necessary power to lift heavy loads. DRONE HOPPER has developed and validated heavy duty commercial drones, designed for transport of heavy loads (high water volumes) and with a patented system for spraying liquids increasing the effective coverage area of the intervention. This technology enables that our drones have an excellent potential to disrupt the market for unmanned firefighting. Nevertheless, we need to evolve the attitude control and stabilisation system to reach the required robustness and reliability of operations. This project is aimed to fill a job vacancy for an UAV engineer to join our R&D team as an Innovation Associate, with an extendable 1-year duration contract and reporting directly to our CTO. The profile of the Associate is a PhD researcher with experience in the development of flight control systems for rotatory wing UAVs, either helicopters or multi-rotors. The Associate will assume a leading role in the development, implementation and testing of an enhanced stabilisation control system for our drone platform, with the overall objective of contributing to increase the UAV´s payload capacity from current 150L to 600L.

The term first responders usually refers to law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical personnel. These responders, however, are not the only assets that may be required in the aftermath of a strike on the homeland. In contrast, the more appropriate term, emergency responders, comprises all personnel within a community that might be needed in the event of a natural or technological (man-made) disaster or terrorist incident. These responders might include hazardous materials response teams, urban search and rescue assets, community emergency response teams, anti-terrorism units, special weapons and tactics teams, bomb squads, emergency management officials, municipal agencies, and private organizations responsible for transportation, communications, medical services, public health, disaster assistance, public works, and construction. In addition, professional responders and volunteers, private nonprofit, nongovernmental groups (NGOs), such as the Red Cross, can also play an important role in emergency response. As a result, the tasks that a national emergency response system would be required to perform are more complex than simply aiding victims at the scene of a disaster, carried out by several kinds of professional users with different roles and expertise. Moreover, emergency preparedness and response lifecycle is a complex process that consists of the preparation, response, and recovery from a disaster, including planning, logistical support, maintenance and diagnostics, training, and management as well as supporting the actual activities at a disaster site and post-recovery after the incident.