Wildfire detection device wins Dyson award

The pinecone-shaped device is made out of wax and charcoal

Students who designed a device which alerts vulnerable communities to developing wildfires have won the UK James Dyson Award.

Dyson, which has its UK headquarters in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, holds the awards annually to encourage budding inventors to find solutions to issues.

The UK winner this year is Pyri - a biodegradable detector made of wax and charcoal which sends radio signals to vulnerable communities.

Dyson said the invention is a "wonderful example" of an innovative idea that tackles an increasing problem.

The way the device works is that its shell melts when fire approaches, releasing a solution which activates the electronic parts within, sending a signal to nearby communities.

Pyri is the product of students Richard Alexandre, Karina Gunadi, Blake Goodwyn and Tanghao Yu.

Mr Alexandre says he was inspired to create it after witnessing wildfire devastation in his own country.

“As a Brazilian, I have a personal connection with the solution that we have created after seeing first hand the devastation that wildfires caused in Pantanal," he said.

“As this devastation seems to continue around the world, we hope that with Pyri we can detect fires early enough to protect the earth from this kind of catastrophe in the future.”

'Huge positive impact'

Entries for the national award are judged by an external panel and a Dyson engineer.

The top 20 projects are then reviewed by Sir James Dyson who selects the winners, who win a £5,000 prize.

Rumyana Dancheva, Senior Design Engineer at Dyson, said: “The Pyri team has developed a compelling product with a fascinating take on functionality, technology, shape and sustainability.

“It has the potential to have a huge positive impact on both people and the environment through the early detection of wildfires.”