Ryan Honary was named a Finalist of The Earth Prize 2024 thanks to his AI-powered wildfire sensor that detects flames before they spread, alerting first responders. The solution, SensoryAI, is being deployed this week in the town of Irvine, OC, California, in partnership with the Orange County Fire Authority.
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This week, 17-year-old Ryan Honary, a Finalist of The Earth Prize 2024, deploys his game-changing wildfire sensor with the Orange County Fire Authority. The move has been especially welcomed within the context of recent devastating wildfires across the globe, from Los Angeles to Portugal, with many searching for solutions for future threats.
Ryan’s solution, named SensoryAI, can detect fires as small as a square foot, alerting firefighters to respond before a fire can spread and turn into a disaster. The solution was inspired by the deadly California wildfire of 2018, which destroyed 18,000 homes and buildings. After the stressful experience of trying to contact his family to confirm they were safe, he began thinking about reworking a heat detector from a fifth grade school project. The first prototype was gradually enabled with infrared sensors, wireless mesh sensor network, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and a camera to detect smoke plumes – ultimately catching the attention of the OC Fire Authority for deployment in the town of Irvine. As a low-cost solution ideal for high-risk areas, it can easily be scaled to other locations in need of vigilance.
The first phase of installation targets high-risk areas within the Irvine Open Space Preserve, a vital ecological corridor spanning nearly 40,000 acres of interconnected open space. Owned by the City of Irvine, OC Parks, and California State Parks, this preserve links Orange County’s open spaces to the Cleveland National Forest.
“Early detection is one of our greatest weapons in what has become a year-round fire season, empowering crews to more safely and effectively execute the robust and rapid initial attack required to keep wildfires small,” explained OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy.
Wildfires continue to devastate communities across the globe, from California to Portugal. In California, over 57,000 acres have burned this year, killing nearly 30 people and causing $255 billion in losses, with scientists confirming that climate change has made such fires 35% more likely. In Portugal, wildfires in September scorched nearly 147,000 hectares, left nine dead, and injured over 160 people, with the European Commission authorising €500 million (US$523 million) in relief funds to address the damage. As wildfires intensify, advanced detection technology like SensoryAI will prove vital to protect lives, property, and ecosystems.
Like Ryan, many young people today have been mobilised to act by their own personal experiences of climate events, favoring choosing to create solutions for our planet rather than march in protest. The Earth Prize, the world’s largest environmental sustainability competition and ‘ideas incubator’ for young people aged 13-19 years, aims to empower the next generation and reduce widespread youth climate anxiety. Since 2021, The Earth Prize has reached over 15,000 young people across 163 countries and territories and awarded $500K to the top teams.
The Earth Prize supports applicants with all the tools they need to develop their eco solutions for real life impact, including on to one mentoring, learning resources and funding of $100K for the winning teams to scale up. These young changemakers’ ideas have garnered global media attention and continue to be scaled up even after the competition has ended. For instance, team Delavo (Winners of The Earth Prize 2023), who invented a cutting-edge filter that recycles up to 90% of toxic laundry waste water, have since applied for a patent and built a partnership with a national manufacturer to make their solution a reality.
Ryan Honary is no different in his ambitions – the deployment of his solution in the city of Irvine this week, alongside the Orange County Fire Authority, is the start of his solution making a real life impact.
“I believe that youth should be going beyond talking and should really focus on developing pragmatic solutions,” said Ryan. “One of the things about The Earth Prize is actually going for solutions rather than just speaking about them. So that’s why I decided to apply. It’s really fun, there’s really nothing to lose, and being a part of it is super interesting. Especially once you get your name called as one of those last 10 finalists, it’s exciting.”
More on the topic: Young Changemakers Invited to Compete for $100K in The Earth Prize to Tackle Eco Challenges
About The Earth Foundation
The Earth Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, dedicated to inspiring, educating, mentoring and empowering students and young entrepreneurs to address environmental changes with innovative ideas. The Earth Foundation was established as a result of the 2019 rallies organized by students to raise environmental awareness.
This passion to fight for climate change inspired the creation of their flagship initiative, The Earth Prize –the world’s largest environmental competition and “ideas incubator” for young people. The competition aims to inspire and empower the next generation of environmental innovators, supporting participants with all the tools they need to develop their eco solutions for real life impact, including one on one mentoring, learning resources and $100,000 funding for the winners.
Learn more about The Earth Foundation and The Earth Prize.
Featured image: supplied.
