| Agriculture | - Agriculture |
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Above: aerial photograph from an InView unmanned aircraft
The hazards associated with manual crop spraying are being noted. |
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Information kindly supplied by Lisa Shaw at www.cropcam.com The CropCam offers image-on-demand and is an inexpensive alternative to satellite, or, flying an airplane over a field. It can provide images of crops, drainage, environmental, spraying, precision agriculture and has a multitude of other uses.
The CropCam aircraft. Download hi-res image : size = 2.373 MB
CropCam is a division of MicroPilot. The CropCam was designed to be reasonably
priced, highly efficient and user friendly for the commercial market. It is a
radio controlled (RC) glider plane equipped with a Pentax digital camera,
controlled by a MP2028 autopilot, along with pre-programmed HORIZON ground
control software. In addition, MicroPilot has developed the CropCam Image
Software. Available with an electric motor drive, the CropCam will also
The CropCam utilizes a MicroPilot autopilot for navigation and control of the
camera: for everything else it uses RC parts (wings, servos, propellers, glow
fuel or batteries) purchased
locally. This makes the CropCam parts practical and accessible worldwide
.
At the heart of the CropCam system is a MicroPilot
Images
The CropCam is very versatile and flight plans can be suited to each country,
or, application. For example, in Canada the regulatory administration allows the
CropCam to fly at a maximum altitude of 2,100 feet. In the photograph below, the
CropCam has flown at 2,100 feet and has taken 12 pictures of 160 acres (with 30%
overlap for GIS applications).
Other developments:
from
http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/industrial/sky/agricultural/index.html
With the health hazards associated with crop spraying, it islittle wonder there
is an increased use of unmanned helicopters, in crop spraying work.
In the plot above, we see (top trace) the slow decrease in hectares of
cultivated rice paddies, with the (red dots: middle line)
decline in manned helicopters
used in crop spraying and (green dots: lower line) the steady increase in areas
sprayed using unmanned helicopters.
Area-wide
communal control of insect pests Strategic application timing is highly
effective for area-wide communal pest control. The Yamaha RMAX Aero Robot is
being used in increasing numbers in the integrated rice paddy systems. The
application of the Yamaha RMAX Aero Robot for insect pest control is
expanding rapidly, with the expansion of cultivated areas. The
application of the Yamaha RMAX Aero Robot for insect pest control is
expanding rapidly, to save energy. The
application of the RMAX for exterminating pine weevils is expanding. The Yamaha
RMAX Aero Robot has actualized energy-saving insect pest control for citrus
fruit orchards, which are often located on slopes. The Yamaha
RMAX Aero Robot takes an active role in the maintenance of vegetable fields,
such as cabbage and onions. The Yamaha
RMAX Aero Robot, with its improved loading capacity, exercises its power in
fertilizer application.
Getting the Yamaha RMAX unmanned helicopter ready for a test flight.
From
www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/business/sky/agricultural/index.html
(link no longer exists).
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