The Australian-British team met the competition’s 10-minute detection gate during Finals Testing near Nenana, Alaska, linking fixed cameras, AI and drone swarms into a single detect, verify and act chain.
Fire Foresight, a Tasmanian wildfire intelligence company, received a $500,000 award in the Autonomous Wildfire Response track of the XPRIZE Wildfire competition as part of the AURA Foresight team. XPRIZE announced the result on September 24, 2026 at its awardee ceremony at the New York City Fire Museum. The award follows Finals Testing near Nenana, Alaska, where AURA Foresight demonstrated autonomous, persistent detection and met the competition’s critical 10-minute detection gate.
AURA Foresight paired the Fire Foresight operational detection platform and Australian field experience with UK-led expertise in swarm robotics, computer vision and autonomous aerial systems. As a result, the team combined fixed optical and thermal sensing, AI, terrain-based geolocation, aerial verification and coordinated drone suppression in one operational chain.
“Wildfire does not wait while information passes from one system or organisation to another. Detection, verification and response must work as one operational chain. In Alaska, our team proved that this chain can operate under demanding field conditions. We are now taking it forward through Australia’s largest integrated bushfire detection network and practical projects with fire agencies, land managers and communities around the world,” said Rob Vernon, founder and chief executive of Fire Foresight and co-lead of AURA Foresight.
How AURA Foresight earned the XPRIZE Wildfire award
The challenge required teams to monitor a vast landscape for eight hours and autonomously detect, locate and suppress controlled incipient fires. XPRIZE set the test area at 1,000 square kilometers (about 386 square miles). AURA Foresight relied on commercially available cameras, communications equipment and aircraft, coordinated through software built for practical deployment and interoperability.
Each potential ignition first entered the Fire Foresight platform through AI-assisted camera detection. Terrain models and multiple camera views then located it, and an investigation drone used optical and thermal imagery to verify the threat. Finally, AURA swarm software coordinated aircraft for targeted suppression.
Tasmanian camera network and next steps
Fire Foresight is helping build the Tasmanian Integrated Fire Camera Network, planned to exceed 40 sites. Once complete, it will become the largest integrated bushfire detection camera network in Australia. The statewide system will connect camera coverage, AI-assisted detection, 24/7 human verification, terrain-based geolocation, lightning intelligence and real-time environmental telemetry. Its next phase adds the aerial investigation capabilities proven through AURA Foresight, while people retain authority over operational decisions.
“The value of this award is larger than the prize itself. It validates the decision to bring world-class research, Australian field operations and commercially available technology into one system. It also gives our customers and partners a credible path from earlier detection to faster investigation and, ultimately, safe early intervention,” Vernon said.
Beyond the competition, the partners will pursue deployment projects for the XPRIZE Impact Phase across Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Those pathways include a fire-resilient landscapes initiative in Africa and continued work with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service in the United Kingdom. AURA Foresight also includes the University of Bristol, Bristol Robotics Laboratory, the University of Sheffield, Indicium Dynamics, RoboticsCats, Taz Drone Solutions, Skyfly Drones and Little Place Labs.
“By combining AI, swarm robotics and close collaboration with firefighters, we’re showing that it’s possible to tackle wildfires while they are still small,” said Dr. Georgios Tzoumas, AURA Foresight co-lead and senior research associate at the University of Bristol.
Fire Foresight services currently cover 3.3 million hectares (about 8.2 million acres). XPRIZE Wildfire launched in 2023 as a four-year, $11 million global competition.
More information is available at Fire Foresight.
Read More
Ian McNabb is a journalist focusing on drone technology and lifestyle content at Dronelife. He is based between Boston and NH and, when not writing, enjoys hiking and Boston area sports.
