This pinecone-sized device could transform the fight against wildfires

Editor’s Note: Design for Impact is a series spotlighting innovative solutions for communities affected by the climate crisis, natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies.

CNN
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In the multibillion-dollar global fight against wildfires, early detection is critical. Satellites, drones, thermal cameras and manned lookout towers are just some of the tools currently used to alert authorities and first responders to imminent threats.

In under-resourced areas, however, these defenses can be prohibitively expensive. That’s why a group of recent design graduates has developed a smaller, simpler and, they say, cheaper solution: A pinecone-sized fire detector that can give…