BurnBot, a small startup from South San Francisco, California, is developing a technology that could be used in wildlife prevention.
Since 2017, California has experienced 13 most destructive wildfires in history out of 20 major incidents.
BurnBot Aims to Eliminate Invasive Plants Before it Causes Fire
BurnBot was founded in 2022 by Anukool Lakhina and Waleed "Lee" Haddad. The pair envisioned utilizing robotics and remote-controlled vehicles capable of eliminating invasive plants or any dry vegetation that could cause fires if left uncultured.
Traditionally, firefighters and landowners used techniques such as grazing vegetation, burning, or applying herbicides to prevent wildfires. However, these ways are expensive, time-consuming, and dangerous.
"A drip torch is like a diesel watering can. You go around, you drop diesel, then ignite it," said Lakhina, Burnbot CEO.
Moreover, preventative tasks require a lot of equipment and manual labor. Typically, drip torching requires a larger number of people.
BurnBot Presents Model That Effectively Removes Unwanted Vegetation
After raising $20 million in funding led by climate-focused ReGen Ventures, BurnBot's current model called RX offers a remote-operated vehicle that works well on rough fields.
The RX features several rows of torches that emit blue flames. The heat levels are adjusted automatically to accurately eliminate any unwanted vegetation along the way.
Moreover, the chambers of the model are capable of trapping and torching away the smoke from burning the vegetation to avoid polluting the air within the communities. Once done, the RX will spray water repeatedly to extinguish the area.
The company is planning to hold a prescribed burn in San Diego for CalTrans, the state's transportation agency. Another burn for Pacific Gas & Electric is also slated in June.
