6. Micro Drone mdMapper 1000DG
An all-weather drone that has been engineered for use in multiple industries, the mdMapper 1000DG comes equipped with the Sony RX1R 11 42MP full-frame camera with a nadir mount. This drone requires no ground control points for survey-grade accuracy as it uses direct georeferencing technology. It can map around 80 hectares in one flight and comes with an onboard powerful IMU that captures accurate orientation angles making it a powerful tool for corridor mapping.
7. Micro Drone mdLiDAR 1000HR
The mdLiDAR 1000HR comes with Velodyne’s highly-rated Puck LiDAR sensor, which has a 100-meter range and utilises Velodyne’s innovative technology that With Velodyne’s breakthroughs in LiDAR, you can measure distance and reflectivity in real-time, 360°, 3D measurements. It has 16 laser channels, a 360° field of view and measures 300 thousand points per second. The drone also comes with a Trimble-powered GNSS receiver that has a dual-calibrated IMU that provides centimetre-level accuracy and is great for corridor mapping.
The mdLiDAR 1000LR is an exceptional commercial drone that comes with a Trimble-powered GNSS receiver and dual-calibrated IMU. This component delivers centimetre-level accuracy for maps without the need for ground control points. It comes with the latest LiDAR sensor from Hesaitech, the X32-32, which has 32 laser channels, a 360° horizontal field of view and a 120m range. The drone also comes with an APS-C 26MP camera and is equipped with the Trimble APX-15 GNSS Inertial board for direct georeferencing. This is the latest drone from MD and is suitable for long-range mapping projects.
Fixed-Wing Drones For Mapping
1. Wingtra Gen 2 Drone
After 6 years of development and over 100,000 flights, Wingtra finally released their next-generation UAV, the Wingtra Gen 2 drone. This hybrid drone comes with the robustness and durability of a fixed-wing drone and the vertical landing and take-off capability of a multi-copter drone. The drone comes with a Sony oblique a1600 camera and is also compatible with several other cameras, including the MicaSense Altum and MicaSense RedEdge-MX multispectral cameras. It comes with a built-in PPK GNSS receiver for sub-centimetre level accuracy for GSD, which results in better, more accurate map reconstruction. This is a robust drone with an IP54 rating and multiple redundancy systems for safer operations. It has one of the longest flight times for a commercial-grade drone and can be controlled from a distance of 10km.
2. eBee Ag
One of the few drones engineered specifically for agricultural purposes, the eBee Ag is a lightweight fixed-wing drone equipped with the Parrot Sequoia+ multispectral camera and the SenseFly S.O.D RGB 20MP camera. The drone has a maximum flight time of 55 minutes and can map 200 ha in that time frame. It’s an all-weather drone that can resist strong winds and is the perfect solution for gathering highly accurate crop data.
3. eBee X
This is the flagship drone from SenseFly, it’s built for all types of industrial applications, including precision agriculture. The drone comes with a maximum flight time of 90 minutes, which is the best on this list and is a great option for large-scale mapping projects. The drone is lightweight but holds up well in harsh weather conditions and can accurately map huge areas of land thanks to its RTK/PPK GNSS receiver. It’s compatible with a range of cameras, including the 24MP SenseFly Aeria X RGB camera and the MicaSense RedEdge-MX multispectral camera.
A VTOL drone that has been engineered for multiple industrial applications, the Atmos Marlyn looks like an aircraft from a science fiction movie. It has a unique design and a carbon fibre frame protected by a 3-layer EPP foam. It has great durability and can be flown in the harshest of weather conditions. Its hybrid design gives it the power of a fixed-wing drone and the flexibility of a multi-copter, provides a flight time of 50 minutes and can map around 370 acres of land within that time. The drone is compatible with 3 different camera, which includes the 42MP Sony RX1 R11 and the MicaSense RedEdge-MX and comes equipped with a PPK GNSS receiver. It’s a fantastic VTOL drone and a great solution for large-scale agricultural mapping and data collection projects.
Best Drones For Agriculture – Crop Spraying
1. DJI Agras T40
The DJI Agras T40 is an agricultural drone that is designed to provide efficient crop spraying and spreading capabilities. It has a high payload capacity, with a 40-litre spraying capacity and a 70-litre spreading capacity, allowing it to cover a large area in a single flight. It has dual atomized nozzles that provide more efficient spraying action, which helps to reduce over-fertilization and optimize pesticide use.
With its advanced flight control system, the Agras T40 can cover up to 21.3 hectares in one hour, making it a highly efficient and effective tool for farmers and agricultural workers. It also has a 12MP FPV camera and an RTK GPS module that can be used for accurate mapping missions.
The drone has an advanced obstacle avoidance system that allows it to fly safely and autonomously, even in challenging environments. It is also IPX6K rated, which means it is resistant to high-pressure water jets, making it suitable for use in harsh weather conditions.
The Agras T40 has a transmission range of up to 7km, which allows it to cover large areas and provide farmers with a comprehensive view of their crops.
The DJI Agras T40 is an agricultural drone that is designed to provide efficient crop spraying and spreading capabilities. It has a high payload capacity, with a 40-litre spraying capacity and a 70-litre spreading capacity, allowing it to cover a large area in a single flight. It has dual atomised nozzles that provide more efficient spraying action, which helps to reduce over-fertilization and optimize pesticide use.
2. DJI Agras T30
The DJI Agras T30 crop spraying drone comes with a 30-litre tank and can also be attached with a 40-litre spreading tank. Its unique spraying system is especially effective for treating fruit-bearing trees, and with its 16-nozzle layout, and improved plunger pump, the T30 has great spraying penetration and reduces drift. It can spray 8L per minute, has a spray range of 9 meters and can cover 40 acres of land in one hour. The spraying system has an IP67 rating, so it is not affected by rain or dust and can be flown in the toughest of weather conditions. The 40-litre spreading tank can be used to spread mulch, fertiliser and seeds and has a maximum capacity of 35kg. The drone has a spherical radar system that perceives its environment and can make adjustments in its flight to avoid obstacles. It has a front and back FPV camera that will allow pilots to monitor spray operations and comes with a searchlight that will allow for improved visuals for nighttime operations.
3. DJI Agras T10
The Agras T10 comes with the same features as the T30, but with reduced capability, it has a smaller 8-litre tank, and the spray system has 4 nozzles that can spray 2.4 litres per minute and has a spray width of 5 meters. It can also be fitted with a spreader that has a maximum capacity of 8kg and a spreading width of 7 meters. Like the T30, it has a spherical radar system for obstacle avoidance and dual FPV cameras for monitoring operations. This is the lightest and smallest crop-spraying drone and is perfect for spraying small areas of land.
4. DJI Agras T20
The Agras T20 comes with a 20-litre spraying tank, and it can also be fitted with the DJI spreader 2.0 tank. The T20 is a powerful spraying drone that has 8 nozzles that can spray 6 litres per minute and has a maximum spray width of 7 meters. The drone can spray 30 acres in one hour and uses a digital omnidirectional radar system for obstacle avoidance. It uses GPS correctional technology to precisely fly along a pre-programmed route and spray only on plants that need to be treated, thus increasing efficiency and reducing waste.
5. DJI Agras T16
The T16 is similar to the T20, it has a smaller 16-litre tank and comes with an 8-nozzle spray system that has a spray width of 6.5 meters and a maximum spray rate of 4.8 litres per minute. It uses DBF radar for obstacle avoidance and can spray 24 acres in one hour.
6. XAG XPlanet Spray & Spreading Drone
The XPlanet crop spraying drone from XAG comes with a 20-litre tank and uses its proprietary spray mechanism that atomises droplets. Its propellers produce a powerful downward draft to reduce drift and increase chemical coverage on the crops. Using peristaltic pumps, the spraying system has a flow rate of 7.2 litres and a maximum spraying width of 7 meters and can cover 18 hectares of land in an hour. The drone can be mounted with XAG’s JetSeed™ Granule Spreading System, which will allow farmers to spread different types of seeds and fertilisers. It uses RTK GNSS technology for precision flying and uses an advanced 4D radar imaging system to sense its environment and obstacle avoidance.
7. XAG P30 Plant Protection
A crop-spraying drone that uses RTK technology to precisely navigate its route and only spray in the designated area. The drone has been engineered to operate in the harshest of weather conditions and has an IP65 rating, making it dust and waterproof. The P30 has a tank that can carry 16 litres of liquid and can cover around 14 hectares of land in one hour. The spray system uses XAG’s iRASS intelligent centrifugation to atomise droplets for a more even and effective spraying action.
8. XAG P20 Plant Protection
The XAG P20 crop spraying drones comes with a spraying system that atomises chemicals for better coverage and efficiency. The drone has a spray width of 4 meters and pumps out chemicals at a rate of 1.2 litres per minute. The drone can spray around 4 hectares in an hour and uses an advanced radar system that can accurately trace any variation in the landscape and make sure the drones fly at a steady altitude.