Drones

Significance of technology in agriculture has its own importance because it is mostly associated with provide results, for feeding a nation’s population. On the back of environmental degradation, pollution, and water scarcity, finding our ways for food security is always a priority based question that needs to be addressed. Involvement of Hi-tech agriculture has increased of late

Israel is known for its robust military technology sector, and particularly the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are specifically engineered for reconnaissance, border control, battlefield surveillance, transporting supplies, and other types of missions.

The number of tasks that nowadays are accomplished by using unmanned aerial vehicles is rising across many civil applications, including agriculture. Thus, this work aims at providing the reader with an overview of the agronomical use of unmanned aerial vehicles. The work starts with a historical analysis of the use of aircrafts in agriculture, as pioneers of their use in modern precision agriculture techniques, currently applied by a high number of users. This survey has been carried out by providing a classification of the vehicles according to their typology and main sensorial and performance features. An extensive review of the most common applications and the advantages of using unmanned aerial vehicles is the core of the work. Finally, a brief summary of the key points of the legislation applicable to civil drones that could affect to agricultural applications is analyzed.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is still developing rules on the use of drones, but individual companies are gradually getting some kind of license.  Now, the FAA for the first time approved fully automatic drone flights for commercial purposes. The permit was issued to a small Massachusetts company,…

Researchers in Malaysia have found a way to turn fiber from pineapple leaves into material sturdy enough to make drone frames. Professor Mohamed Thariq Hameed Sultan of Putra University told Reuters that drones built with the material had a higher st...

Drones have already shown that they can reliably deliver vital shipments of blood across Rwanda, drop off prescriptions to senior citizens in Florida, and help quarantining families stay safe with contactless deliveries. Now they’re going to be buzzi...

The Giumarra Companies announced a joint project with Mountain View, Calif.-based startup Reliable Robotics Corporation to test shipments of produce utilizing autonomous aircraft technology developed by the latter company. The test flight program, created to help address supply chain and delivery…

The Giumarra Cos., Los Angeles, is testing deliveries of fruit by planes without pilots and has had its first successful flight.

Tim Riley, president of Giumarra Cos., called the program “groundbreaking” and will transform the future of the industry.

Giumarra is working with start-up Robotics Corp., Mountain View, Calif., using technology developed by the company. Giumarra is pursuing the program “to help address supply chain and delivery challenges within the fresh produce industry,” according to a news release.

The company’s first flight, a 200-mile trip from Reedley Municipal Airport to Whiteman Airport, Los Angeles, was Aug. 7.

“This test proved that the technology is viable and will evolve the way we bring products to market by enabling us to deliver fresher, riper fruit anywhere in the country, including remote food deserts, at speeds never before seen,” Riley said in the release.

The automated Cessna 172 Skyhawk included a pilot and engineer on board “for safety assurance,” according to the release. Reliable Robotics’ first fully autonomous flight was last year. It has also successfully landed the larger Cessna 208 Caravan and is in the process of certifying it for the program as “an ideal for air shipments of produce,” according to the release.

Drones - you see them flying around more and more often. In the US, Amazon has received permission to test making deliveries with these flying machines. So, in a few years, we might never have to leave our houses. Our deliveries will simply be left on the porch or posted through a window.

Walmart just kicked off its own drone delivery pilot, a collaboration with drone delivery company Flytrex.

The pilot launched today in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and is limited to select grocery and household essential items from the retailer’s local stores.

“We know that it will be some time before we see millions of packages delivered via drone,” reads a press release from Tom Ward, senior vice president of customer product at Walmart. “That still feels like a bit of science fiction, but we’re at a point where we’re learning more and more about the technology that is available and how we can use it to make our customers’ lives easier.”

Dangling from a Wire

Flytrex’s drones can cruise at 32 mph at 230 feet and can release their payload, stored inside a delivery box below the rotors, via a wire release mechanism. According to the company’s website, orders are lowered using the wire from eighty feet, ensuring a “quiet and secure delivery.”

The news comes after Amazon was designated an “air carrier” by the Federal Aviation Administration in August, meaning it can start trialing drone package deliveries.

Amazon is also developing its own proprietary drones that transform from a helicopter configuration to an airplane one. They can carry five pound packages to costumers within a 15 mile radius.

Amazon.com Inc’s drone service has received federal approval that will allow the company to begin testing commercial deliveries through its drone fleet, the e-commerce giant said. Amazon Prime Air, the company’s special service delivering packages in 30 minutes or less, has been approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to test delivering orders using autonomous drones.

Researchers over at Universiti Putra Malaysian (UPM) are taking plastic reduction one step further by creating a drone made from pineapple leaves. The entire drone, of course, won’t be made from pineapple leaves, but rather its main body or frame. The frame is made using natural fibers. Prof Dr Mohamed Thariq…

Potatonewstoday.com shared two videos that are really worth watching for those who are interested in what’s happening in the technology developments in the ag industry.

US: GrubMarket now major supplier of California cherriesGrubMarket, which delivers mainly local and organic groceries to businesses and consumers, has completed the acquisitions of Growers Produce Inc. and Cali Fresh Produce Inc., 2 produce wholesale companies with established customer bases across both…