FireDrone Timeline

Events

• 2026-01-26 - Demonstration - FireDrone tests new 200°C-capable generation - Empa detailed the new FireDrone generation on January 26, 2026. A cast polyimide-aerogel shell and internal thermal management protect cameras, sensors and electronics at temperatures up to 200 degrees Celsius. The spinout reported repeated tests at the… - source: empa.ch
• 2025-07-02 - Award - FireDrone receives CHF150K InnoBooster award - The Gebert Rüf Foundation approved the award on July 2, 2025. The CHF150,000 project runs from September 2025 through December 2026. Funding supports pilot deployments with fire brigades and industrial partners and the transition into a Swiss spinout. - source: grstiftung.ch
• 2024-10-15 - Award - FireDrone founder receives Empa Entrepreneur Fellowship - Empa announced the 2024 Entrepreneur Fellowship cohort on October 15, 2024. The program backed David Häusermann's effort to transfer the heat-resistant drone from research into a spinout. Empa cited a real-fire prototype test and the system's ability to help… - source: empa.ch
• 2023-06-26 - Demonstration - Empa validates heat-resistant FireDrone prototype - Empa published the FireDrone research milestone on June 26, 2023. The prototype enclosed batteries, sensors and electronics in glass-fiber-reinforced aerogel insulation for high-temperature flight. Researchers tested the aircraft in a gas fire and positioned… - source: empa.ch