Agricultural Drone: Bringing high-tech solutions to small-scale farms

As Oregon State University’s Agricultural Drone team, we have partnered with Raitong Organics to provide Thai farmers with an affordable and practical agricultural assistant.

A Project with a Purpose

Our goal for this project is to improve accessibility of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for agricultural use in low-income countries. To do this, we are designing an open-source and easy-to-repair agricultural drone that can deposit payloads (such as a liquid silica solution) autonomously over a field. This agricultural drone enables efficient and sustainable farming operations at half the cost of its competitors.

Goals

• Flight time of 30 minutes to 1 hour

• Coverage of 100 square meters with consistent spraying

• Maximization of affordable, off-the-shelf parts

• Autonomous flight via a pre-calculated route

• Straightforward user interface

Where can volunteers contribute?

• Manufacturing

  We are looking to optimize the drone’s mechanical elements, from the landing gear to the tank design. As we balance durability and cost, we need innovative solutions and in-house prototyping to test our ideas. Our manufacturing team will help guide you and get you lab-certified to develop these robust parts.

• Intelligence

  Since this drone is autonomous, there is a great deal of work to be done to ensure safe and reliable flights. From sensor data to flight path optimization, we welcome anyone with an interest in computing! Our team will match your interests to our needs as we work to develop a smarter drone.

• Testing

  We flight test the drone regularly and appreciate any assistance in refining and carrying out these tests.

Want to learn more?

Agricultural Drone meets Fridays at 12 PM in Rogers 342

ECE, CS, and MechE sub-teams also meet individually on a weekly basis

Please contact Megan Thomas at thomame2@oregonstate.edu for more information

Our Sponsor: