The role TechNexus plays in keeping Hawaii safe from wildfires

One year after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century killed 111 people on Maui, dozens of wildfire detection sensors are now deployed throughout Hawaii. The deployment is the result of a partnership between TechNexus, N5 Sensors, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Dozens of wildfire detection sensors are now deployed throughout Hawaii thanks to a partnership between TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tech firm N5 Sensors, and the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate Credit: N5 Sensors One year after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century killed 111 people on Maui and devastated the Lahaina community, new sensors have been placed throughout the Hawaiian Islands to better detect fires before they spread. And they were deployed thanks to an effort led by TechNexus as part of a government program to source new technologies for early wildfire detection. In total, 80 wildfire sensors have been placed throughout Hawaii as of August, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate announced this month. The artificially intelligent sensors, built by University of Maryland spinout N5 Sensors , effectively emulate the sense of smell. The sensors can identify when a fire begins, or if an earlier blaze has rekindled, and do it far faster than a human can. With these high-end semiconductor sensors, which measure gasses and particulates generated by wildfires and don't require a camera to identify flames, N5 can alert firefighters to a blaze before it spreads and provide first responders additional time to make life-saving evacuation decisions. The sensors are also smart enough to distinguish between a wildfire and a campfire, or even someone cooking on a grill. Credit: Nathan Musso How TechNexus sprang to action N5’s newest wildfire sensor, called N5SHIELD, was deployed after TechNexus was tasked with sourcing and incubating innovative wildfire detection technologies by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate. TechNexus has worked with the DHS for seven years, spending the last four working on wildfire detection technology. TechNexus is part of the DHS Science and Technology Directorate's Smart City and Internet of Things Initiative (SCITI Labs), in collaboration with Virginia Innovat

By Jim Dallke at TechNexus Venture Collaborative