The University of Nebraska System has released , focusing on Drone Amplified—a startup company founded by University of Nebraska–Lincoln professor Dr. Carrick Detweiler. The video series, hosted by President Jeff Gold, features conversations with researchers, students and educators across NU’s four campuses who are changing lives and making an impact.
In the video, Detweiler—Drone Amplified’s co-founder and chief executive officer—discusses the background, inspiration and uses of the company’s signature product, IGNIS; a drone-based system that allows firefighters to control wildfires while staying out of harm’s way. He also talks about the critical role commercialization plays in bringing university research and discoveries from the lab to the marketplace.
When firefighters work to contain a wildfire, they often start prescribed burns on land in front of the wildfire. When the wildfire reaches the already-burned area, it runs out of fuel and extinguishes itself. The IGNIS system uses ping-pong ball-sized chemical spheres dropped from drones to set these smaller fires. The aerial approach keeps firefighters safely on the outside of the fire—significantly reducing the risk to human life and injuries.
“For many years, firefighters have used manned aircraft to get close to the front edge of wildfires to start back burns to control them,” Detweiler said. “A quarter of all wildland firefighting fatalities are related to aviation—and using drones takes the human risk out.”
IGNIS isn’t just a sky-high idea—it’s made a real, tangible impact fighting fires. To date, the United States Forest Service has used IGNIS to drop over a million ignition spheres. Detweiler credits university resources as a key to scaling his product from concept to commercial product:
“It’s been amazing to see how we’ve gone from an idea formed over lunch to demonstrations in the lab and eventually to the formation of a startup,” Detweiler said. “Our work with NUtech Ventures helped us to patent our ideas early on, break into the commercial sector and produce our product.”
Dr. Gold praised Detweiler and Drone Amplified’s work:
“Through the power of engineering and innovation, Dr. Detweiler and Drone Amplified are making a remarkable impact,” Dr. Gold said. “Their work is not only improving lives—it’s saving them—and protecting our nation’s natural resources at the same time.”
New episodes of “Shaping the Future” are released monthly and feature faculty, staff and students from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of Nebraska at Omaha. Topics will include athletics, counterterrorism, agriculture, student success, healthcare, K-12 education and many others.
Viewers may watch past episodes of “Shaping the Future” .