Yugra Startup Develops Drone System to Detect Fires Burning Beneath Snow
Technopark Yugry resident Neyroniks is developing a drone-based system that uses artificial intelligence to detect hidden peat fires smoldering underground before they reignite in spring.
The problem is particularly severe in Yugra. In 2024, the region recorded 347 landscape fires that burned more than 10,500 hectares, while up to 40% of peat fires go undetected in their early stages. Pipelines, power transmission lines, and nearby communities are all at risk. More than 70% of the region's licensed resource development areas are located on peatlands.
The Neyroniks system combines a drone with artificial intelligence. The drone flies a preprogrammed route while a thermal imaging camera streams data to an onboard computer, where a neural network identifies heat anomalies as small as 30 centimeters. The coordinates of a detected hotspot are automatically transmitted to a dispatch center, while the collected data remain stored onboard even if communications are interrupted.
The developers say there are currently no comparable systems in Russia designed specifically to detect underground smoldering peat fires. The project has been approved by the Technopark Yugry expert council, with development and field testing in Yugra set to begin next.
