An idea hatched by two guys in a shed in Albury is capturing attention in the world of disaster response. Back in 2014, helicopter pilot Jack Hurley joined with a small team of engineers to create an unmanned aerial vehicle – also known as a UAV or drone – that could be used to quickly capture photos and data after a disaster like a flood or cyclone. 

Recognising that it is very expensive to get an aircraft to take photos from the air, Jack and his team set out to create something that was affordable, easy to operate and mobile, but still rugged enough to withstand the challenging environments of the Pacific. Their invention, Firetail, is a low-cost UAV system used to respond to natural disasters and identify areas that most urgently need assistance. The Firetail is an unmanned aerial system (UAS) consisting of a low-cost foam wing and Australian-made and designed Firetail autopilot and application that enables both the collection and presentation of real-time geo-referenced images and maps for damage assessment. The Firetail folds into a standard backpack and can be deployed in a matter of minutes. The geo-referenced images collected by Firetail can be delivered in real time to the Firetail cloud anywhere in the world, with users able to review stitched together geo-referenced images upon landing.

Firetail won the Australian government’s 2016 Pacific Humanitarian Challenge as an innovative solution to emergency response. As reported by tech publisher Gizmodo, ‘the impact of Firetail in countries hit by natural disasters could save numerous lives’.