Demonstrated at: #MWC24

Dryad Networks (link) focuses on early fire detection through distributed sensors mounted in forests. At Mobile World Congress 2024, Dryad Networks showed an ensemble of solar-powered LoRaWAN-connected sensors and gateways designed to provide low-cost early detection of combustion products during the smoldering phase of a wildfire. The entire deployment is self-sufficient in terms of power and communications links up to its border gateway, which taps a nearby LTE, NB-IoT, LTE-M, GPRS, satellite, or ethernet. And yes, AI is part of the company's story.

Remotely deployed sensors are important supplements to camera-based fire detection systems or satellite land observation. Sensors will pick up early signs of fire spread before smoke plumes or thermal signatures build to a large enough stage for remote detection. Sensors will also work when cloud cover obscures a region or in places where visual access from cameras or satellites is not practical.

Clever design choices include using supercapacitors in place of batteries. The company wryly notes that this was an intentional move to avoid bringing fire starters into the wilderness. Beyond the superior safety of lithium-ion batteries, the supercapacitors are more efficient and can operate nearly unlimited charge/discharge cycles. It's a good choice for tags hung in the tree canopy.

Another significant design consideration was the LoRaWAN architecture, which constrains a system to a star topology. Dryad Networks avoids the limits by incorporating Mesh Gateway nodes that link multiple LoRaWAN stars with a path to a Border Gateway node hosting an uplink to the cloud.

In the company's first year of sales in 2023, more than 19,000 sensors were deployed across fifty early adopters. Deployments are in place at CalFire, PG&E, and Canada Rail.

Thanks to Dryad Networks CEO Carsten Brinkschulte for taking time during a hectic Mobile World Congress to describe an inspirational innovation.