Clemson Develops Drone, AI Tech to Monitor Wildfires

New system aims to improve awareness and decision-making for first responders.

Mar. 26, 2026 at 10:51pm

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Students and faculty at Clemson University are working to develop drone and AI technology that could help monitor and respond to wildfires more effectively. The system allows drones to communicate with an AI system to provide real-time information to first responders without putting people at risk.

Why it matters

Wildfires have become an increasingly dangerous and costly threat, especially in the American West. This new technology from Clemson could give first responders a powerful new tool to detect, track, and respond to wildfires more quickly and safely.

The details

The Clemson team is developing a system that uses drones equipped with sensors and cameras to gather data on wildfires, which is then fed into an AI system to analyze the information. This allows first responders to make decisions without having to put people directly in harm's way. The South Carolina Forestry Commission has expressed interest in using tools like these to enhance their firefighting capabilities.

  • The project is currently in development at Clemson University.

The players

Fatemeh Afghah

An associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Clemson University who is leading the development of the drone and AI technology.

Ellen Morh

An official with the South Carolina Forestry Commission who says the new tools are a major breakthrough in wildfire response technology.

Clemson University

A public research university in South Carolina that is home to the engineering lab and students working on the wildfire monitoring technology.

South Carolina Forestry Commission

The state agency responsible for managing and protecting South Carolina's forests, which has expressed interest in using the Clemson-developed technology.

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What they’re saying

“If you're going to have autonomous vehicles and autonomous drones connected to a communication system, Wi-Fi cannot support that.”

— Fatemeh Afghah, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

“Over my career, it is probably the biggest push in breakthrough technology in this space. It allows us to have eyes in the sky without putting a person at risk.”

— Ellen Morh

What’s next

The Clemson team plans to continue refining the drone and AI technology, with the goal of deploying it to assist first responders in the field.

The takeaway

This innovative technology from Clemson University has the potential to revolutionize wildfire monitoring and response, providing first responders with a powerful new tool to save lives and protect communities from the growing threat of wildfires.