Clemson develops drone, AI technology to monitor wildfires – WRDW

CLEMSON, S.C. — Students and faculty at Clemson University are working to develop technology that could help save lives during wildfires.
“If you’re going to have autonomous vehicles and autonomous drones connected to a communication system, Wi-Fi cannot support that,” said Fatemeh Afghah, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Clemson University.
Inside the engineering lab, students help write and refine the code that allows the drone system to communicate with AI. Outside, they fly the drones and test the technology.
The South Carolina Forestry Commission is asking people across the state to hold off on burning outdoors.
Afghah said the goal is to improve awareness so first responders can make decisions without putting people at risk. State forestry officials say tools like these are becoming a major asset in the field.
“Over my career, it is probably the biggest push in breakthrough technology in this space. It allows us to have eyes in the sky without putting a person at risk,” said Ellen Morh of the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
Afghah said the collaboration is what makes the work move faster, combining engineering, AI and the needs of first responders into something practical.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

source