A sixth-grader from Ann Arbor, Michigan, has developed a low-cost firefighting drone designed to help tackle one of the most dangerous challenges faced by firefighters: reaching and suppressing fires without putting people directly in harm’s way. Sanat Pandit, a student at Greenhills School, built a $300 unmanned aerial vehicle that uses thermal imaging, sonar and path-planning technology to locate and target hot spots. According to Society for Science, during testing, his drone successfully extinguished 18 of 20 outdoor candle fires and 16 of 20 indoor fires. The Society for Science named Pandit one of 30 finalists in the 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, recognising his project among the country’s leading middle-school STEM innovations.
A sixth-grader’s response to wildfire danger
Pandit’s interest in developing a firefighting drone was rooted in personal experience. His aunt and cousins lost their home to a wildfire, and the devastating 2025 Los Angeles fires further drew his attention to the challenges of wildfire response. He also learned that wildfires affect millions of square miles around the world each year and that firefighting can be both dangerous and expensive. Instead of trying to build a conventional firefighting vehicle, Pandit explored whether an unmanned aircraft could assist firefighters by identifying intense heat and delivering water to the affected area.That idea became the foundation of his project, called Project Soteria: A Low-Cost Fire Mitigating UAV Implemented Through Stereovision, Sonar and Path Planning Algorithms.
How the firefighting drone works
Pandit began with a drone and modified it with a dual thermal camera. Thermal imaging allows the aircraft to detect differences in temperature, helping it identify the hottest part of a fire within the range of its sensors. He also incorporated sonar and a path-planning algorithm. The system uses sonar to map the drone’s surroundings and helps the aircraft navigate while following a planned route.A water launcher was then added to the aircraft. The intended system can identify the highest-temperature area detected by its sensors and direct water towards it, allowing the drone to attack a fire without requiring a person to approach the flames directly. The project combines several technologies that are individually familiar but were brought together by Pandit into a small, low-cost firefighting platform.
The $300 drone put through fire tests
Pandit tested the drone and its water launcher against 20 candles in indoor and outdoor settings. The results showed a difference between the two environments. Outdoors, the water launcher successfully extinguished 18 of the 20 candles. Indoors, it put out 16 of the 20 test fires. The launcher was capable of shooting water at a speed of 8.37 metres per second. The drone also demonstrated autonomous navigation, deviating from its intended path by an average of only 0.4 metres during testing.Perhaps most strikingly, the entire system cost about $300 to build. The relatively low cost was central to Pandit’s concept of creating a firefighting tool that could provide additional support without the expense associated with larger specialised systems.
From cleaning a polluted river to building robots
Pandit’s interest in using technology to solve real-world problems began before his firefighting project. He recalls taking part, during first grade, in an effort involving his family and around 50 volunteers to clean a heavily polluted river in India. After spending five hours clearing only a small section, he began thinking about how automated machines could assist people with difficult physical tasks. That experience helped shape his interest in robotics and engineering.He has since continued exploring technology through projects involving modified aircraft and also enjoys model rocketry. His long-term ambition is to become an aeronautical engineer.
From school project to national STEM competition
Pandit’s work has now earned him a place among the 30 finalists of the 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, organised by Society for Science. The competition is designed for students in grades six through eight and brings together young researchers from across the United States. The 2026 finalists were selected from a much larger pool of student innovators. Society for Science says the finalists will gather in Washington, DC, from October 23 to 28 for Finals Week, where they will showcase their research, collaborate and take part in the competition’s final stages. The Science & Engineering Project Showcase is scheduled for October 24, with winners to be announced on October 27.For Pandit, the national recognition gives his $300 prototype a much larger platform. What began as an attempt by a sixth-grader to find a safer and more affordable way of confronting fires has developed into a STEM project combining robotics, autonomous navigation, thermal sensing and firefighting technology.
