HERE COME THE AGRIDRONES
U
nmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),
more commonly known as drones,
are in the news a lot lately. Whether
they are causing a stir by hovering over
the Eiffel Tower in Paris or zooming
over a field recording sensor data, as
these robotic flying machines proliferate, they are having an impact on a
wide range of industries, including
agriculture. Most drones have pilots on
the ground, and many can also operate
independently of their human masters.
They come in all shapes and sizes—
some are helicopters with four or more
rotors, some are built more like miniature airplanes, and others resemble
insects such as moths or dragonflies.
Since there are so many different
types of UAVs, it would be cumbersome
to go into great detail describing
them all. However, we can put drones
into several categories to make it
easier to discuss them. First of all, we
can categorize them by whether the
machine is operating under remote
control, such as a radio-controlled
(RC) airplane or helicopter, or if it is
operating autonomously. Most UAVs
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Maximum Yield USA | November 2015
There are many applications for drones in fields, including crop dusting, time-lapse
photography and video.
are not fully autonomous, but have
features that allow them to navigate to
a location or perform patterned flights.
Remotely controlled drones have a pilot
in charge at all times. Many UAVs can
be switched between remote control
and autonomous modes.
Another way to classify UAVs is either
as fixed or rotary wing. Fixed-wing
drones are much like RC aircraft, but
with greater autonomous capability
and, as is the case with agricultural
drones, more on-board sensor systems.
An example of the rotary type is the