First responders don't have time on their side.
Whether fires, search-and-rescue missions or medical emergencies, their challenges are usually dangerous and time-sensitive.
Using autonomous technology, Zurich-based Fotokite is developing a system to help first responders save lives and increase public safety.
Fotokite Sigma is a fully autonomous tethered drone, built with the NVIDIA Jetson platform, that drastically improves the situational awareness for first responders, who would otherwise have to rely on manned helicopters to get an aerial perspective.
Tethered to a ground station, either in a transportable case or attached to an emergency vehicle, Fotokite Sigma requires no skilled drone pilot, taking no one away from the scene.
Supported by the compute power of the NVIDIA Jetson platform in the grounded base, Fotokite Sigma covers the vast majority of situations where first responders need an aerial perspective during an emergency. Whether it's an aerial search for someone off the side of a road, a quick look at a rooftop for hotspots or getting eyes above an active fire to track progress and plan resources, Sigma employs computer vision to send information directly to a tablet, with photogrammetry capabilities and real-time situational awareness.
Fotokite is a member of NVIDIA Inception, a program that offers go-to-market support, expertise and technology assistance for startups working in AI, data science and high performance computing.
Fighting Fire With Data Firefighters depend on accurate, timely information to help them make important situational decisions.
Fotokite Sigma's thermal camera can determine where a fire is, as well as where the safest location to enter or exit a structure would be. It can highlight hotspots that need attention and guide firefighters on whether their water is hitting the right areas, even through heavy smoke or with limited visibility at night.
Once the fire is under control, Sigma can monitor the area for potential flare-ups, so firefighters can prioritize resources to act quickly and efficiently.
Everything from autonomous flight and real-time data delivery to the user interface and real-time streaming is made as simple as pushing a button, which means first responders can focus on saving lives and keeping people safe, said Chris McCall, CEO of Fotokite.
Fire departments across the U.S. and Europe are using Fotokite Sigma, in both major cities and rural areas.
The next area of focus for us is increasing the situational awareness and decision-making power in an emergency situation, said McCall. Using NVIDIA technology, we can easily introduce new capabilities to our systems.
In addition to rolling out availability of Sigma across more geographies, Fotokite is working with partners to deliver data in real time, something that might have previously taken several hours to accomplish.
Providing a 3D render of an active emergency situation, tracking first responders, and supplying other intelligent data layers, for example, could be invaluable to first responders, helping them visualize a scene as it unfolds.
Learn more about how NVIDIA partners Lockheed Martin and OroraTech are using accelerated computing technology to fight wildfires.
Learn more about NVIDIA Inception and the NVIDIA Jetson platform. Watch public sector sessions from GTC on demand.
North America Stories
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today! By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
23/12/2025
New technique lights up where drugs go in the body, cell by cell Scripps Research scientists developed a technique that maps drug binding in individual cells th...
22/12/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Presidio's Neerav Shah on the Role of Its Captiva...
22/12/2025
Hitting the bullseye: Sky Sports readies itself for the biggest PDC World Darts ...
22/12/2025
Unique skillset: Bringing new directors to the world of darts at The Worlds with...
22/12/2025
Gravity Media prepares for a flight of fancy with the PDC World Darts Championsh...
22/12/2025
One hundred and eighty: Gravity Media on hitting the production bullseye at the ...
22/12/2025
The Famous Group's Jon Slusser on Fascinating Fans Through Immersive Content...
22/12/2025
ESPN's Meg Aronowitz on Continuing High-Quality Broadcasts of Collegiate Spo...
22/12/2025
ESPN Takes Data-Driven Storytelling to New Heights with MNF Playbook with Next ...
22/12/2025
Paramount Scores Largest Share Increase Among Distributors as Paramount and CBS...
22/12/2025
New multi-year deal integrates Roku's data to fuel Nielsen's measurement suite
Roku gains access to Nielsen's streaming ratings, showing The Roku C...
22/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
22/12/2025
Berklee Wrapped 2025: Our Top News and Stories A look back at a year highlighted by faculty milestones, major film and television projects, Bob Dylan's ho...
22/12/2025
The works of Plato state that when humans have an experience, some level of change occurs in their brain, which is powered by memory - specifically long-term me...
First responders don't have time on their side.
