OCTAL is a brand-new student research team from the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. We're building a heavy-lift autonomous firefighting drone that can help stop wildfires before they spread and become dangerous. This holiday season marks the one-year anniversary of the Palisades and Eaton fires in California–the motivation for our work. Several members of our team were directly affected by these fires or connected to people who were, and we are convinced that there is a better way to fight them.

Wildfires roughly double in size every two minutes. Our octocopter is designed to autonomously fly to flare-ups in under 10 minutes–a quarter of the time it takes human land crews–and extinguish or diminish them early, reducing their spread and catastrophic damage. After interviews with dozens of firefighters, we specified a payload capacity of 80 kg (176 lbs) and a flight time of 30 minutes. We estimate that with this capability, our drone could effectively extinguish or contain 80% of incipient brush fires. Every part of our drone is optimized for strength, safety, and speed: we've designed the system completely out of carbon fiber and aluminum, and we're running double-redundant electrical systems to stay safe.

To bring this vision to life, we need your help. Your donations will go directly toward raw materials like carbon fiber and aluminum stock, propellers, motors, mechanical hardware, circuit boards, and batteries. Funds will also help us travel to test sites, connect with firefighters and experts, and inspire young engineers through outreach. Thank you all for your donations. Your support will help us soar! Our goal is to save lives and livelihoods—and you’re making that dream possible.