Extinguishing Wildfires with Light at Meta Photonix

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — MetaPhotonix Inc. (MPI), a Silicon Valley startup, is developing a revolutionary method to extinguish large-scale wildfires using nothing but light – eliminating water! The innovative technology also aims to significantly reduce the need for aircraft, and firefighters, enabling fires to be extinguished by AI remotely at the speed of light.

In 2024, MPI achieved a small yet groundbreaking milestone, by remotely extinguishing a tiny flame, equivalent to the size of a candle, using only light. While small in scale compared to actual wildfires, this experiment serves as a vital proof-of-concept, paving the way for a future where wildfires can be managed quickly and cost-effectively.

“It’s like the first transistor—early stage, but with transformative potential,” said CEO, Dr. Leo DiDomenico, a former NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist.

MPI’s technology, known as photopyrokinesis, leverages “structured light” from lasers and millimeter-wave sources. These initially low-intensity beams traverse the atmosphere where they would get focused to high-intensity at the disaster area to suppress wildfires without water, chemicals, or close-range human intervention.

This innovation could save the U.S. up to $1 trillion annually in wildfire-related costs, an amount rivaling the nation’s military budget, while addressing up to 20% of global CO₂ emissions.

Using precise light beams, MPI’s technology can potentially even target fires near buildings, offering a critical tool for protecting lives and property. Therefore, this approach is a potential game-changer for the insurance industry, allowing them to keep insuring homes, by reducing claims from wildfires. Each community might someday have its own quick-acting AI fire sentry protecting lives and homes – making fire insurance viable again.

Photopyrokinesis works by directing beams of structured light to fire zones to manipulate the electronic structure of the atmosphere and create localized shockwaves that deny oxygen to the fire. This process provides millions of tiny, controlled explosions each second, extinguishing flames rapidly and efficiently. It is like using dynamite to put out an oil well fire, but much more controlled and targeted.

The structured light’s unique properties allow it to even propagate on curved trajectories, like water from a hose, enabling precise targeting of the fire even in extreme wind conditions like Santa Ana winds.

Founded in 2022 by Dr. DiDomenico, MetaPhotonix Inc. is advancing in the XPRIZE Wildfire competition, but needs visionary investors to help scale this technology and protect lives, ecosystems, and economies from the devastating effects of wildfires.

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SOURCE MetaPhotonix Inc