Forest Fires are a huge problem worldwide, especially in places like California in the United States. Yet the way we fight them is likely pretty primitive. We use water and fire extinguishers. Often even sand is dropped in large forms. However, when you think about how the future might look for fire fighting, expect “sound” to play a role. Researchers at George Mason University in Virginia made a sonic extinguisher.
[Image via George Mason University]They proved that it could put out fires quite effectively, especially when set on bass frequencies. Sound is made up of what we call “pressure waves.” These waves can be used to disrupt the air around us, including the air surrounding a fire. It accomplishes this by cutting off the supply of oxygen the fire uses to keep it fueled. At a proper frequency, the fire simply dies out. We very well could send drones into major forest fires and have them use sonic noise to put away fires quickly.