(Image credit: Pixabay)
Drones are fast becoming an invaluable tool in the agriculture industry, undertaking multiple roles to ensure healthy and maximum crop yields. According to a recent report from DJI, over 300,000 drones operate globally, treating more than 500 million hectares of farmland, and the numbers are increasing annually. These drones come equipped with advanced sensors and imaging technologies that provide a unique blend of flexibility and productivity.
When it comes to agriculture, drones are being tasked with crop monitoring and health analysis using multispectral and hyperspectral cameras that can identify diseases, pest infestation and abnormal growth. They can provide detailed mapping and 3D images to assess soil health and moisture levels, which helps to optimize irrigation, soil management and crop placement. Drones can also take part in the precision spraying of pesticides and herbicides to maintain healthy crops, deploy fertilizers, and adjust spray levels based on real-time data.
There are specialized agriculture drones as well, such as those responsible for planting and seeding in areas with difficult access and terrain, drones that monitor livestock and their behavior to maintain health, and even drones that provide field protection for unwanted predators, poachers and crop theft. Drones can even take part in disaster management, providing insight into crop damage and livestock loss after natural disasters. Today’s agriculture drones have a wide range of capabilities due in part to designing them with the latest technologies, including next-gen MEMS-based sensors that are utilized to perform the functions mentioned earlier.
MEMS-based (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) sensors are a key component for advanced agriculture drones. These sensors bring a high-performance miniature design with low power consumption, making them ideal for use with drones and their limited battery power. MEMS technology can be found in a myriad of next-gen sensors, including IMUs (Inertial Measurement Units) that provide drones with orientation, stability, acceleration and velocity data. They provide lightweight and energy-efficient optical and thermal imaging sensors, temperature and barometer sensors, flow sensors, LiDAR and more, all of which are designed to be energy efficient with significantly reduced power consumption over traditional sensor technologies.
With that said, Element 14 is hosting a webinar on The Power of High-Performance MEMS Sensors and how businesses and industries are utilizing them. Presented by Juhani Pelttari, Senior Manager of Murata Electronics (Europe), and Jordan Ratcliffe, Marketing Programming and Senior Specialist at Element 14, the webinar will delve into how next-gen MEMS technologies are revolutionizing drones, vehicles and heavy machinery. The webinar will go live on January 16, 2025, at 2:00, with Q&A followed shortly after.
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