Compiled by Sors Pretorius
Photo: https://agfundernews.com/wp-content/
I
n this article we will be looking at some aspects
involved in the possible uses of these marvellous
pieces of equipment in agriculture, drones.
No, we are not referring to those small insects associated with bee-keeping or pollination practices, but
to the small, unmanned aircraft which are piloted from
a remote pilot station, making a droning sound and
has the ability to do precision flight. It is a mechanical
flying instrument that holds much promise for agriculture in the future.
There is much controversy as to what these robotic flying machines should be called. Some will prefer RPA
(remote piloted aircraft) or perhaps UAV, an unmanned
aviation vehicle with no pilot on board which can be
A drone used in agricutlure
Photo: https://pixabay.com/static/uploads/photo/2014/09/19/06/57/quadrocopter451747_960_720.jpg
remotely controlled (e.g. flown by a pilot at a ground
control station) or can fly autonomously based on preprogrammed flight plans or more complex dynamic
automation systems. Originally designed for military
and warfare practices, and essentially created as aerial
torpedoes, or to spy on you from 5000 feet, these
“creatures of the sky” eventually ended up as one of
the most usable man-made creations to enter the
world of agriculture in the more recent past. I will stick
with the term “drones” for purposes of this article.
We are talking about flying robots generally. We are
talking about both things that are remotely piloted,
things that are halfway autonomous and fully autonomous in the past, in today, in the future and in the far
A typical drone set
Photo: https://pixabay.com/en/quadrocopter-drone-model-propeller-1033642/