Orange County teen's invention provides look at the future of firefighting
An Orange County teenager's lifelong passion could change the future of firefighting, with his recent invention becoming the latest tool adopted by local fire departments to help stop wildfires before they grow out of control.
Ryan Honary, a Newport Beach high schooler and founder of SensoRy AI, officially partnered with the city of Irvine and the Orange County Fire Authority to deploy his artificial intelligence-driven wildfire detection system in the Irvine Open Space Preserve on Monday, a 40,000 acre swath of land that connects to the Cleveland National Forest.
"I'm actually very excited because this is our very first deployment," Honary said. "The whole idea of my platform is to be able to detect the fire when it is smaller than one foot by one foot. The idea is that by the time the firefighters are there to put it out, a human shouldn't have even been able to see it from their house."
The invention combines AI, machinery and a wireless mesh sensor network to detect a fire in its earliest stages. It aims to immediately alert firefighters with instant notifications and constant real-time updates on the potential growth, speed and direction it's burning.
"So, it would take a picture of that fire, it would detect it from its infrared and maybe smoke as well and then it would instantly send that information as an email text or push notification to the Orange County Fire Authority's phones," Honary said.
He put his work to the test in Irvine's Qual Hill open space, close to where the 1993 Laguna Fire sparked. He's been working on it since he was in fifth grade after he watched the devastating blaze destroyed hundreds of homes.
Firefighters say it's this type of technology that could be one of their most valuable tools when it comes to preventing the devastation recently seen in Los Angeles County, when the Palisades and Eaton fires erupted.
"Early detection is one of our greatest weapons in what has become a year-round fire season, empowering crews to more safely and effectively execute the robust and rapid initial attack required to keep wildfires small," said OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy.
Honary has partnered with OCFA for several years now after receiving $250,000 in funding from the Irvine Ranch Conservancy. In the time since, Fennessy has mentored the teen who he is now beyond proud of and grateful for. He says that the technology will better enable them to provide real-time data to crews on scene, including where to allocate their resources.
This year alone, California wildfires have already consumed more than 57,000a acres, killed over two dozen people and caused north of $250 billion in economic losses.
A new group of Honary's detectors will be deployed along SR-133 heading into Laguna Beach. By the end of the year, OCFA hopes to have 25 detectors installed in their most fire prone areas.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Wire
3 days ago
- Business Wire
VeriSilicon's Ultra-Low Energy NPU Provides Over 40 TOPS for On-Device LLM Inference in Mobile Applications
SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VeriSilicon ( today announced that its ultra-low energy and high-performance Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU) IP now supports on-device inference of large language models (LLMs) with AI computing performance scaling beyond 40 TOPS. This energy-efficient NPU architecture is specifically designed to meet the increasing demand for generative AI capabilities on mobile platforms. It not only delivers powerful computing performance for AI PCs and other end devices, but is also optimized to meet the increasingly stringent energy efficiency challenges of AI phones and other mobile platforms. Built on a highly configurable and scalable architecture, VeriSilicon's ultra-low power NPU IP supports mixed-precision computation, advanced sparsity optimization, and parallel processing. Built on a highly configurable and scalable architecture, VeriSilicon's ultra-low energy NPU IP supports mixed-precision computation, advanced sparsity optimization, and parallel processing. Its design incorporates efficient memory management and sparsity-aware acceleration, which reduce computational overhead and latency, ensuring smooth and responsive AI processing. It supports hundreds of AI algorithms including AI-NR and AI-SR, and leading AI models such as Stable Diffusion and LLaMA-7B. Moreover, it can be seamlessly integrated with VeriSilicon's other processing IPs to enable heterogeneous computing, empowering SoC designers to develop comprehensive AI solutions that meet diverse application needs. VeriSilicon's ultra-low energy NPU IP also supports popular AI frameworks such as TensorFlow Lite, ONNX, and PyTorch, thereby accelerating deployment and simplifying integration for customers across various AI use cases. 'Mobile devices, such as smartphones, are evolving into personal AI servers. With the rapid advancement of AIGC and multi-modal LLM technologies, the demand for AI computing is growing exponentially and becoming a key differentiator in mobile products,' said Weijin Dai, Chief Strategy Officer, Executive Vice President, and General Manager of the IP Division at VeriSilicon. 'One of the most critical challenges in supporting such high AI computing workloads is energy consumption control. VeriSilicon has been continuously investing in ultra-low energy NPU development for AI phones and AI PCs. Through close collaboration with leading SoC partners, we are excited to see that our technology has been realized in silicon for next-generation AI phones and AI PCs.' About VeriSilicon
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Yahoo
First Flight For Quarterhorse Prototype That Aims To Lead To A Reusable Hypersonic Jet
Aviation startup Hermeus has completed the first flight of its uncrewed Quarterhorse Mk 1, as part of its hypersonic test aircraft project. Hermeus aims to eventually build an uncrewed flight vehicle capable of beating the SR-71's absolute speed record for an air-breathing crewed aircraft — 2,193.2 miles per hour, achieved in 1976 — and then to explore the hypersonic realm, which is defined as anything over Mach 5. These objectives are still a long way off, however, and it appears that Quarterhorse Mk 1 won't explore supersonic flight. Announced today, the Quarterhorse Mk 1 first took to the air last week at Edwards Air Force Base, California, when it 'achieved stable flight and landed smoothly,' according to the company. A video released by Hermeus appears to show a takeoff and then a brief period in the air, followed by it setting down shortly after on the Edwards lakebed. 'Mk 1's flight validated our rapid, iterative approach to airplane development and advanced our mission to radically accelerate aviation,' Hermeus added. Among the byproducts of this approach is the relatively 'rough' external finish of the Mk 1 aircraft. A first flight for the Mk 1 flying prototype had been planned for some time toward the end of 2024. It's unclear why this timeline slipped. The Mk 1 was preceded by a 'dynamic iron bird' test rig, also known as Quarterhorse Mk 0, which you can read more about here. This non-flying prototype was used to validate major aircraft subsystems, including in taxi runs at the Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) in Tullahoma, the project, Hermeus has stressed rapid, iterative development and prototyping. The non-flying Quarterhorse Mk 0 was built in just six months, and all its test objectives were completed in 37 days of testing. Now, with the Mk 1, Hermeus says it went 'from clean sheet to flight-ready' in a little over a year. As part of this effort, the company is building four Quarterhorse aircraft of successively greater complexity and scope. The Mk 1 aircraft flown last week was built to verify takeoff and landing of an uncrewed aircraft in this configuration, and is not apparently planned to trial high-speed flight. It is powered by a General Electric J85 turbojet, as used in the Air Force's T-38 Talon jet trainer, for example. Other aspects of the flight-test program for the Quarterhorse Mk 1 are examining aerodynamics, stability, and control. Testing of the Mk 1 is also intended to validate various subsystems, including propulsion, fuel systems, hydraulics, power, thermal management, avionics, flight software, telemetry, flight termination, and command and control. The Mk 1 will be followed by the Quarterhorse Mk 2, intended to reach supersonic speeds below Mach 3. Currently, the Mk 2, which will be around the same size as an F-16, is in production at Hermeus' headquarters in Atlanta. The company says it should fly before the end of this year. This will be powered by a Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan engine, also used in the F-16. Finally, Quarterhorse Mk 3 will hit speeds beyond Mach 3 and, as Hermeus states, 'demonstrate turbojet-to-ramjet mode transition in flight and break the all-time airspeed record held by the SR-71.' Notably, the Mk 1 that is now embarking on the flight-test program is not the same vehicle as the 'prototype' that Hermeus rolled out in November 2021, as The War Zone reported at the time. This vehicle lacked any obvious flight control surfaces or landing gear, but did feature a functioning engine with afterburner, as seen in the video embedded here. At the heart of the Quarterhorse series will be a so-called turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engine. This combines a ramjet or scramjet — optimized for very high speeds — with a more traditional jet turbine, which can be used for takeoff, landing, and other lower-speed portions of flight. You can read more about the specific advantages of a TBCC powerplant in this previous story. As with any high-speed aircraft program, especially one that aims to eventually explore the hypersonic realm, the challenges are great and the potential for failure is high. However, if all goes to plan, Hermeus' Quarterhorse series could feed into the Air Force's broader effort to explore potential future hypersonic and supersonic executive transport aircraft concepts. Beyond that, some of the various technologies that Hermeus is working on could be used in other applications by the U.S. military. In particular, Hermeus has pointed to the potential for its technologies to be used for missions including the transport of time-critical cargo and reconnaissance. For these applications, the company proposes what it describes as a 'mid-size autonomous aircraft.' In the past, the U.S. military has repeatedly shown interest in finding ways to rapidly deliver military cargo around the globe, and there have been persistent references made to a potential future hypersonic and strike reconnaissance aircraft. More modest proposals could see Hermeus providing a testbed for hypersonic technologies or even building surrogate hypersonic targets. Air Force interest in Hermeus' work has already been formalized. Hermeus received $60 million in funding from the Air Force and venture capital firms to support the Quarterhorse flight test program, the company announced in 2021. Hermeus has claimed that its Quarterhorse program is primarily aimed at commercial markets, with the potential of fielding 'the fastest reusable aircraft in the world.' While the idea of resurrecting supersonic passenger travel has long been tempting, it's so far failed to yield any practical hardware and has seen other startups fold. Whether the Quarterhorse series eventually leads to some kind of 'son of Concorde' is highly questionable, but there's no doubt that the military has expressed interest in at least exploring the potential of very high-speed uncrewed aerial vehicles. As well as the promise of performance, Hermeus' approach also reflects Air Force interests in the rapid development of iterative designs, an idea that has been around for a while, but which is now widely seen as critical to ensuring capabilities, and combat mass, especially when it comes to crewed aircraft, drones, and munitions. Hermeus uses the term 'hardware richness' to describe building multiple prototypes in quick succession, which should allow multiple aircraft to complete their full development cycles in a very short time period. If the company is able to master this, it could provide a way of churning out new (uncrewed) aircraft designs as a 'pace not seen in the U.S. since the 1950s.' Clearly, there are very many challenges that lie ahead if Hermeus is to succeed in bringing a reusable hypersonic aircraft to the hardware stage, and doing it quickly. In the meantime, we can now look forward to the first flight of the faster and more capable Quarterhorse Mk 2, planned for later this year. Contact the author: thomas@
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
PayTabs unveils AI-driven payment orchestration platform
PayTabs Group has introduced a new AI-powered payment orchestration platform, developed over a period of four months in Saudi Arabia. The platform is expected to process transactions exceeding SR 325bn shortly, the paytech said. Additionally, the group has initiated the AI Payment Acceptance Booster project to decrease transaction declines, and a Data Warehouse project aimed at providing real-time financial insights and risk management services. PayTabs Group CEO & founder Abdulaziz Al Jouf said: 'The launch of our Saudi built, AI-powered payment orchestration platform represents a bold step forward, not just for PayTabs but for Saudi Arabia's vision of AI leadership. 'With scalable AI-powered infrastructure, PayTabs is poised to deliver Saudi technology across emerging markets, equipping businesses and financial institutions with the agility to compete globally.' The PayTabs Moderator Platform, an AI orchestration layer, has been developed for banks, financial institutions, and large corporations. This layer offers a unified payment ecosystem control through APIs and is hosted within Saudi Arabia to meet financial sector compliance standards. The technology has already been adopted by financial entities in various markets, including Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, and Azerbaijan, facilitating payment solutions. Since July 2024, PayTabs Group has been integrating AI across its products, operations, and processes. The company has implemented an AI strategy, an AI-driven CRM, AI-powered customer support, and automated KYC/KYB onboarding processes. By July 2025, PayTabs aims to extend its AI services to over a million clients, in line with its digital economy growth strategy with 'IPO readiness'. Last month, PayTabs partnered with Mastercard to enhance digital payment solutions for SMEs in Egypt, utilising Mastercard's network and capabilities to provide a 'white-labelled' digital payments platform for merchants. "PayTabs unveils AI-driven payment orchestration platform " was originally created and published by Electronic Payments International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
