Wildfire Warning Systems

The pinecone protecting forests from large-scale fires

Wildfires are inevitable, but their devastating impact doesn't need to be.

In the United States, Brazil, Australia, and countries all over Europe, millions of hectares of forest were destroyed by wildfires in 2024 alone. These extreme wildfire events are predicted to increase by 50% by 2050.

With these vital ecosystems under threat, Blake Goodwyn and Richard Alexandre set out to find a solution.

Blake and Richard are the brains behind Pyri: a nature-inspired technology that detects wildfires early. This enables faster response times to fight the fires, reducing their harmful impact on the environment and human health.

Existing wildfire detection includes satellites, cameras, and ground sensors. However, these technologies were not specifically created for this purpose, and they either lack precision or are very expensive to deploy.

Pyri is precise, timely, and affordable. Made from organic materials and electronics, it turns heat from an incoming fire into a detectable radio signal. When deployed at scale, this network of sensors allows the fire to be traceable in real time, signalling where it is, how far it has spread, and how quickly it is moving.

Pyri's design is inspired by nature and was crafted after studying the shape and dispersal patterns of over 600 different seeds. The result is a pinecone-sized device that can be dropped into remote regions from the air. As Richard says, "nature is 100% the ultimate designer."

Though Pyri is first and foremost designed to detect wildfires, the technology could be used for a wider range of environmental sensors, all without polluting the landscape.

Thank you to the following contributors:

Blake Goodwyn, Pyri

Richard Alexandre, Pyri

Garrett Dickman, National Park Service

Todd Gartner, World Resources Institute

Jane Cart Ingram, Pollination Group

Janine Benyus, Biomimicry Institute