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Student Authors:
Pranjal Mujmer
Harshil Rank
Sohangkumar Patel
Darshankumar Malaviya
Ashishkumar Sutariya
Malay Pipaliya
Ankitkumar Gajera
Supervisor:
Prof. Thomas Benesch
Table of Contents
1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 6
1.1 What is an autonomous drone? ........................................................................................ 6
1.2 Importance & history of an autonomous drone ................................................................ 6
1.3 Requirement of this case study: ....................................................................................... 8
2 System Description of Autonomous Drone ............................................................................ 9
2.1 Scientific Background ...................................................................................................... 9
Physical and structural mechanics Used ................................................................... 9
Electrical Analytics used......................................................................................... 10
Electronics system used. ......................................................................................... 11
2.2 Components & System parameters ................................................................................ 12
Components ............................................................................................................ 12
System Parameters .................................................................................................. 13
2.3 Popular Flight Mechanisms............................................................................................ 17
Types of Mechanism ............................................................................................... 17
Kinematic Structure of system ................................................................................ 19
Dynamic Structure of system .................................................................................. 20
2.4 Propulsion Mechanism ................................................................................................... 22
2.5 Functional behaviour of drone ....................................................................................... 22
3 Autonomous Drone in Agricultural application ................................................................... 24
3.1 Precision agriculture ....................................................................................................... 24
Definition of precision agriculture .......................................................................... 24
Advantages of precision agriculture ....................................................................... 24
Role of UAV in precision agriculture ..................................................................... 25
Structuring and key elements of Agriculture .......................................................... 25
Limitations of UAV in Precision farming .............................................................. 26
3.2 Crop Spraying application.............................................................................................. 27
Contribution of UAV in pesticide spraying ............................................................ 27
Parameters in Pesticide Spraying application ......................................................... 28
UAV based Pesticide application............................................................................ 29
3.3 Crop monitoring ............................................................................................................. 30
Remote Sensing technology.................................................................................... 30
Seedling Emergence analysis .................................................................................. 32
3.4 Soil and field analysis .................................................................................................... 32
Soil mapping using multispectral sensors. .............................................................. 32
Soil water-logging analysis ..................................................................................... 33
3.5 Crop Health Monitoring ................................................................................................. 33
CWSI Monitoring ................................................................................................... 33
Plant pathogen identification .................................................................................. 34
3.6 Additional techniques used Agriculture Autonomous drones for application ............... 35
Variable rate technology ......................................................................................... 35
Vegetation indices ................................................................................................... 35
Image mosaicking ................................................................................................... 37
3.7 Condition criteria or Flight parameters .......................................................................... 38
Boundaries .............................................................................................................. 38
Altitude ................................................................................................................... 38
Legal or not? ........................................................................................................... 38
Environmental criteria ............................................................................................ 39
3.8 Drones available in market ............................................................................................. 39
Agricultural Spraying Drone................................................................................... 39
Mapping and analytics solution .............................................................................. 43
4 Modern technical approaches ............................................................................................... 46
4.1 Mechatronic System ....................................................................................................... 46
Sensors .................................................................................................................... 46
Common Sensors................................................................................................. 46
Actuator................................................................................................................... 49
Microcontroller’s systems ....................................................................................... 54
Programming systems ............................................................................................. 56
4.2 Digital enhancement for drones ..................................................................................... 64
mobile & web development .................................................................................... 64
use of cloud system. ................................................................................................ 65
Use of AI & ML systems ........................................................................................ 65
4.3 Remote controlling Device............................................................................................. 65
remote controller ..................................................................................................... 65
Communication System .......................................................................................... 66
Gesture controlled system. ...................................................................................... 68
Automatic flight control .......................................................................................... 69
4.4 Safety Systems ............................................................................................................... 69
Automatic safe landing/Emergency landing ........................................................... 69
Damage in flight propulsion ................................................................................... 69
Communication Failure .......................................................................................... 70
Whether protection.................................................................................................. 70
Onboard Malfunction .............................................................................................. 70
5 Impact of agricultural autonomous drones ........................................................................... 71
5.1 Business opportunities & economic impact ................................................................... 71
Statistics of Current Businesses .............................................................................. 71
Market scope ........................................................................................................... 72
Entrepreneurship and Start-Ups .............................................................................. 72
5.2 Social & health impact ................................................................................................... 73
Social....................................................................................................................... 73
Health impact .......................................................................................................... 74
5.3 Limitation & drawbacks of autonomous drones in agricultural ..................................... 75
Limitations .............................................................................................................. 75
Drawbacks............................................................................................................... 76
6 Conclusion & future scope.................................................................................................... 77
7 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 79
TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1 History of Drone ............................................................................................................ 7
Figure 2 Analog to digital convertor ......................................................................................... 11
Figure 3 Multi Rotor ................................................................................................................... 17
Figure 4 Fixed Wings Drone ...................................................................................................... 18
Figure 5 Single Rotor .................................................................................................................. 18
Figure 6 Flapping Wing.............................................................................................................. 19
Figure 7 Kinematics structure of drone .................................................................................... 19
Figure 8 Free body diagram of hexa-copter drone .................................................................. 20
Figure 9 A single axis tilting Quadcopter. ................................................................................ 21
Figure 10 Propulsion mechanism of drone ............................................................................... 22
Figure 11Accelerometer ............................................................................................................. 46
Figure 12 IMU ............................................................................................................................. 46
Figure 13 Current & volatge Sensor ......................................................................................... 47
Figure 14 Magnetic Sensor......................................................................................................... 47
Figure 15 Flow measurement..................................................................................................... 47
Figure 16 LIDAR sensor ............................................................................................................ 47
Figure 17 Ultrasonic Sensor ....................................................................................................... 48
Figure 18 Thermal/ Infrared sensor.......................................................................................... 48
Figure 19 GPS Sensor ................................................................................................................. 48
Figure 20 Humidity & Temperature Sensor ............................................................................ 48
Figure 21 Barometric Sensor ..................................................................................................... 49
Figure 22 Rain Sensor ................................................................................................................ 49
Figure 23 PH Sensor ................................................................................................................... 49
Figure 24 Frame of drone........................................................................................................... 51
Figure 25 Microcontroller's system ........................................................................................... 54
Figure 26 Flight controller board .............................................................................................. 55
Figure 27 Flowchart - Remote control ...................................................................................... 66
Figure 28 Satellite Communication ........................................................................................... 67
Figure 29 Internet communication ............................................................................................ 68
Figure 30 Flowchart - Gesture control...................................................................................... 69
Figure 31 Global agriculture & drone market revenue .......................................................... 71
1 INTRODUCTION
Gravitational Force
Equations of Gravitational force is the base to calculate the resultant force for lifting the
drone due to its own weight. Equation for stating gravitational force for calculating gravitational
acceleration is as follow:
𝑚 𝑚
𝐹=𝐺 = 𝑚𝑔
𝑟
Where F is force, m1 m2 represent mass, r represent separation and G represent gravitational
constant.
Here, force can be implemented as a resistance force due to its Opposing nature. This force will be added
as a negative force into the final force applied with the help of the motor to the blade.
𝐹⃗ = 𝑚𝑎⃗
force = - (Accelerating force) = -(m*a)
In classical mechanics, Newton's laws of motion are three laws that illustrate the relationship
between the motion of an object and the forces acting on it. Calculation of all acting forces are
resultant from this fundamental law. This law can add one other resistance force to applied
perpetual force which is inertia force.
gyroscopic effect
Gyroscopic effect is the cause of change in angular momentum from two perpendicular
axes; this can cause loss of control where the drone travels fast in any of the rotational directions.
Due to rotational motion of propeller blades Gyroscopic couple will be also effectful to overcome
force in turning operation.
𝐶 =𝐼∙𝜔∙𝜔
Where 𝐶 is gyroscopic couple, I is moment of inertia of rotor and 𝜔 is angular velocity of rotor,
𝜔Pmax is maximum angular velocity of precession.
Fluid Mechanics
Every flight mechanism must have to face air resistance due to the earth’s atmosphere, and
the final force can be achieved by resulting in the effect of drag and lift force. The drag force is
considered as opposite whether lift force is considered as required force or positive force. The
approach of fluid mechanics helps to reduce drag and increase lift for optimistic flight mechanisms.
This can be done by practically observing velocity & pressure profiles of airflow on the propeller
& body of the drone.
Drag coefficient.
𝐹
𝐶 =
𝐴
Where CD is drag coefficient, FD is darg force , 𝜌 is mass density, v is flow speed of the object,
and A is reference area.
Lift coefficient
𝐿
𝐶 =
𝜌𝑉
Where, 𝐶 is lift coefficient, L is lift, 𝜌 is mass density, v is flow speed of the object, and A is
reference area.
Frame BOOM
Rotational Components
Gimble
Lending Gear
Propeller shaft
Propeller Blade
Electrical & Electronic component
System Parameters
Effect of system parameters on performance of drone
Weight
At the time of flying, the body of any kind of system must have as little weight as possible because
it has to overcome this gravitational force which is the largest negative force. If unnecessary weight
is added to the drone, it needs extra power and for that larger size of battery must be require.
𝑊 =𝑚∙𝑔
Drag force.
Drag force consists of two main basic operations in calculation in flight mechanism: first one is
braking and second one is directional stability. It is a resistance force that is considered as an
opposite force that reduces the speed of a drone.
𝑟𝑉
𝐷=𝐶 𝐴
2
Where, CD is drag coefficient, FD is darg force , 𝑟 is mass density, v is flow speed of the object,
and A is reference area.
Induced drag
This type of drag is created when lift force induces vertex with an increase in the angle of attack
so if the wing is not producing lift, then drag will be zero. At the effect point, this drag reduces the
airspeed.
2𝐿
𝐷 =
𝜋𝑒𝐴𝜌𝑆𝑣
Where, Di is induced drag coefficient, L is lift, s is span, 𝜋 is numeric constant, A is area, 𝜌 is
density, v is speed of object and e is efficiency factor.
Parasite drags.
Parasite drag is all drag force that is not caused from the production of the lift force. All of
these forces are the movement of an object through an air mass. It helps to increase with
speed and adds skin friction drag, which also increases the interference drag and the form
drag.
1
𝐹 = 𝜌𝑣 𝐶 𝐴
2
Where, FD is Parasite drag force, 𝜌 is density, v is speed of the object related to fluid, CD is
drag coefficient and A is Area.
RPM
The Basic concept is, the High RPM of the motor, the faster the Propeller spin, thus more lift is
created. Basically, more RPM will result in more force. The RPM of each motor would be
responsible for the flight’s orientation (forward, backward, up, down).
Multi Rotor
In this type of mechanism, drones use rotors for propulsion and control. A non-zero upward force
is generated by rotors which is greater than the weight. Most common applications of multi rotor
drones are aerial photography and aerial video surveillance etc. As compared to other types of
drones these are easiest to manufacture. These types of drones are not suitable for large scale
projects like long distance aerial mapping or surveillance. The basic problem with this type of
drones is that a huge portion of their energy is used to fight against gravity and stabilize in the air.
The multi-rotor drone has four types: Trichopteran, Quadcopter, Hex copter and Octocopter. In
aerodynamics, there is less chance of object spin if there are fewer rotors. So, complexity of drone
stability is increased with a higher number of rotors. However, Octocopter produces more thrust
force as compared to Quadcopter so that it can reach higher altitudes because thrust force is directly
proportional to diameter of rotors.
Where,
Single Rotor
Single rotor drones are very similar in design and structure to actual helicopters. This type of drone
has just one big sized rotor and small sized rotor on the tail of the drone to control its heading. This
is more efficient as compared to multirotor drones. In aerodynamics, the lower the count of rotors
the less will be the spin of the object and that is the big reason why single rotor drones are much
more efficient than multi rotor drones. However, these machines come with much higher
complexity and operational risks.
First of all, it is necessary to understand how the drone moves in the space and how the coordinate
system is work in real space. Kinematic structure of drone describes the rotational motion of drone
while Dynamic structure of the drone describes all forces and resulted momentum.
𝑉= 𝑢 +𝑣 +𝑤
where, u, v and w are the velocity of the drone along the x, y and z axis respectively.
where, 𝐾 is constant, which is depends upon many factors like back EMF, torque proportionality
constant, density of surrounding air, area swept by propeller.
Rotating propellers also produce torque. There are two types of rotors which are counter-clockwise
rotors and clockwise rotors so that it helps to make the drone stabilized. Momentum of all the
counter-clockwise rotating rotors and all the clockwise rotating rotors neglect each other's
momentum and the drone does not spin about its body axis. This rotating torque is represented by,
𝐹=𝐾 ∗ 𝜔
where 𝐾 is constant which is depends upon many factors like back EMF, torque proportionality
constant, density of surrounding air, area swept by propeller
Majority of drones cannot rotate its arm where the propeller is located.
Nowadays, drones with rotors that can tilt around its axis. This type of drone provides more
stability as compared to traditional drones. The tilting rotor drone required an additional motor to
rotate arm of drone so that position and orientation of the drone become more precise.
For calculation of inertia, the drone is assumed as an idol model as shown in figure. The drone is
assumed with a spherical dense centre with mass M and radius R. The motors act like four points
of masses located at distance l from the centre with mass m. Inertia of the whole system is that,
2𝑀𝑅
𝐽 = 𝐽 = + 2𝑚𝑙
5
2𝑀𝑅
𝐽 = + 4𝑚𝑙
5
Translation of motion of the drone is achieved by Newton's second law of motion. The Coriolis
force also acts on drones during the flight time. It is a kind of inertial force that acts on drones that
are in motion with a frame of reference that rotates with respect to an inertial frame. The
gravitational force is also considerable during dynamic modelling of the drone. Resultant force
acting on drone is that:
As per above equation linear acceleration is calculated. Equation of linear acceleration of drone is
described as
𝑢̇ 𝐹 −𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 𝑟𝑣 − 𝑞𝑤
𝑔
𝑣̇ = 𝐹 +𝑔 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜑 ∗ 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 + 𝑝𝑤 − 𝑟𝑢
𝑊 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜑 ∗ 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 𝑞𝑢 − 𝑝𝑣
𝑤̇ 𝐹
Where, p, q and r angular velocity with respect to x, y and z direction respectively. u, v and w is
linear velocity with respect to x, y and z direction respectively.
Radar positioning systems help to detect drones. It is the automation process to calculate the
position of a drone. Highly accurate drone navigation is very important when flying, especially in
drone applications such as creating 3D maps, surveying landscapes and Search & Rescue missions.
Autonomous drones can detect their position efficiently by modern radar positioning systems.
The latest high-tech drones are now equipped with collision avoidance systems. Possibility of
drone crashes is very less because of the obstacle detection system. Nowadays autonomous drones
have become more advanced because they can automatically detect some obstacles by modern
detection technology. Also, this system will help with automatic object detection on ground and
AI systems can classify its type. These use obstacle detection sensors to scan the surroundings,
while software produces the images into 3D maps allowing the drone to sense and avoid. These
systems fuse one or more of the following sensors to sense and avoid.
· Vision Sensor
· Ultrasonic
· Infrared
· Lidar
· Monocular Vision
Gyro stabilization technology gives the autonomous drone its smooth flight capabilities. The
modern autonomous drone uses six axis gyro stabilization technology to achieve accurate
navigational information to the flight controller and helps to make the drone more stabilized. It
allows drones to fly in a strong wind environment. The gyroscope works almost instantly to the
forces moving against the drone, keeping it flying or hovering very smoothly.
The inertial measurement unit (IMU) works by detecting the current rate of acceleration
using one or more accelerometers. The IMU detects changes in rotational attributes like pitch, roll
and yaw using one or more gyroscopes. Some IMU include a magnetometer to assist with
calibration against orientation drift.
The Gyroscope is a component of the IMU and the IMU is an essential component of the
drone’s flight controller. The flight controller is the central brain of the drone
3 AUTONOMOUS DRONE IN AGRICULTURAL APPLICATION
There are certain parameters associated with the pesticide application via unmanned aerial vehicle
in precision agriculture. Mostly multi rotor drone’s are preferred for this type of application and
the classification of UAV on the basis of there. mass, size, flight time are done according to the
field area and the specific application purpose. Moreover drone's vertical landing and take-off
capabilities and reusability give it edge. The main concern among all the parameters in UAV is the
mass it carries of application tools (sensors, sprayers, GPS antenna, fertilizer) along with its own
weight i.e. Payloads which is 20-25% of the UAV mass as well as functioning load involves the
mass of motors, servos, software and hardware based control equipment’s. UAV for pesticide
application can have variable flight range (less than 30KM to 500 KM) based on the take-off
weight and payload it have which could be as low as 25 KG of total weight with only 7.5 KG of
useful weight or as high as 1500 kg of take-off weight with 450 kg of useful weight. These mass
parameters can evaluated with the help of a mass balance equations. It comprises of Mt as take of
mass, Mst as mass of structure, Mpr as propulsion mass, Mcs as mas of various control system and
Mpl as mass of payload.
Mt = Mst + Mpr + Mcs + Mpl
To calculate the relative form of the equation to obtain the value of an element with respect mass
of the UAV the equation can be transformed as
1= M’st + M’pr + M’cs + M’pl
Where M’ =
Another Parameter to be estimated is the geometric area covered by the UAV and it flight range
during the shuttling process. so, when a pesticide drone works on a field with length Li and width
as W of spraying, where all the X-Y coordinates are considered for longitude and latitude . then
the total area sprayed by the UAV is
S area = ∑i=1n Li W
Where n is the no. of area processed. The length of total area processed is determined by
L total = ∑i=1n Li
and the last parameter is the estimation of the quantity of pesticide and herbicide require for the
respective target section of the field , which generally in rectangular section length as the length
of path selected and width as the working width of spraying . As a result the flow rate of the fluid
on application area is calculated.
Let the flow rate through a single nozzle is Fϕ , quantity of nozzle as N for spraying , deposition
width as W and spraying velocity as V then the working fluid mass Mf can be represented as –
Mf = W ∑i=1n L[N. Fϕ /W.V]
where n is the number of locations that need to be treated for a single flight based on the digital
map field.
The above explanation above is quite applicable however the factors needed for the changing the
route is decided prior to the application and thus are less accurate or get delayed during the high
variable weather conditions and thus the method of adaption to environment is adapted for solution
for good route rectification is proposed by (…..).The system consist of two components (i)
Collector and Actuating (Collect),and (ii) Optimization Core (OPTIC).first components checks for
weather information and update UAV from a ground based station accordingly and second is
responsible for route changing factor with help of embedded system installed on UAV. Firstly the
whole field is divided into the several subparts and the real time updating of route changing factor
is applied at every transition step. Collect gathers the weather information with the help of WSN
system by requesting the response from the every next sub part sensors and transmit to the OPTIC
ground station via wireless communication which further transmit it to CollAct to get new route
changing factor and the process goes on till the end of the field . in case of any failure from the
information from ground station to UAV the previous weather information are taken into account
and the UAV proceeds accordingly.
Figure 13shows application of OBIA technology with original UAV picture at left, segmentation step at middle and
classification output at right with crop in red , weed patches in green and bare soil in white
Seedling Emergence analysis
A popular agricultural application of imagery taken with a UAV is seedling emergence observation
and mapping. If seed germination is delayed or ineffective in some areas of the field due to
environmental variables, the producer usually has a brief window following seed emergence to
replant. The field can be mapped at very high resolution in the early phases of crop development
to examine seedlings and identify zones where germination was failed. The required resolution is
determined by the size of the plants' leaves immediately following emergence. Before canopy
coalescence, aerial imaging of the field should be done so that each plants may be seen clearly in
the images. When spectrally distinguishing tiny leaves from the surrounding soil environment,
vegetation indices frequently produce better results. After the whole imagery of the field is taken
orthophoto are produced with the help of that. the plant layer seen in the Orth mosaic must be
categorised, to match seedling density classes in the Ortho mosaic with ground-validated seedling
counts. Later, the analyst would split the field into zones where seedling density is insufficient,
and the producer should consider replanting.
One of the most serious environmental issues for agriculture is ponding causing significant
biological harm to crop due to a lack of oxygen availability. In addition, soils that have been
ponded over long periods of time may lose fertility. As a result, agricultural yields may suffer a
severe reduction. The reason for ponding can be soil’s inability to drain water , Non-optimal
agricultural methods, reduces the flowability of the soil, shallow water table rising due to
subsurface water and The lack of drainage channels .UAV in combination with the
photogrammetry Structure-from-motion (SfM) technology are a robust, low cost, quick and
adaptable geomorphological investigation option. High-resolution topography techniques (HRT)
could be strategically significant to better comprehend this situation, thereby providing suitable
remedies to minimize the associated risk because it provides correct description of surface
morphology. LiDAR, for example, can be used to rebuild the topography of an agricultural area at
a broad spatial scale using an aerial laser scanner. UAV-SfM for larger-scale surveys permits the
creation of high-resolution DEMs to map erosion and deposition, detect highly risky areas due to
surface runoff, and beneficial in figuring out how surface water storage happens and map the
terrain's concave areas.
Figure 14Crop water stress mapping of a corn field using thermal imagery, including 3 irrigation region marked by pink,
green and blue solid lines
Vegetation indices
vegetation indices (VIs) have been frequently employed. In qualitative and quantitative vegetation
analysis, they are thought to be particularly helpful for monitoring crop health and growth (e.g.,
biomass, nitrogen level, and so on). They are mathematical translations of scattering and
absorption in various bands of the electromagnetic spectrum in order to reduce the “noise” caused
by external causes (e.g., lighting, atmosphere, soil properties, etc.). In order to recognise
vegetation, each VI has its own unique combination of reflectance in distinct bands. Chlorophyll,
for example, absorbs visible radiation in the red, whereas NIR radiation is highly reflected. in this
way, vegetation can be differentiated by the soil in a photo and unhealthy vegetation may be
spotted. Simple VIs integrates RGB data with some spectral bands like NIR and RE, have greatly
increased the capacity to recognise green and healthy vegetation. The VI can be divided into two
main categories, Vegetation Indices based on multispectral or hyperspectral data and Vegetation
Indices based on information from the visible spectrum. Various spectrums used in the formulation
of VI’s are Red (620–670 nm), Green (500–560 nm), Blue (430–500 nm), Near Infrared (720–
1500 nm) and Red Edge (670–720 nm).
In terms of multispectral vegetation indices, the Ratio Vegetation Index was one of the earliest
well-known indices (RVI). The contrast between plants and soil is enhanced by this indicator. It
is, however, susceptible to the ground's optical features. The Normalized Difference Vegetation
Index (NDVI) is the evolution of RVI and is computed by the visible and near infrared light
reflected from the vegetation. On the basis of NDVI, a number of new VIs have been
created. NDRE employs the NDVI approach to equalise the ratio of NIR to Red Edge (RE)
radiation. GNDVI with NIR and Green bands behaves similarly. Excess Greenness Index (ExG)
is also computed by subtracting the radiation in the red and blue channels from doubled radiation
in the Green channel.
NDVI
The NDVI is the most commonly detected parameter using drone sensors, and it indicates crop
biomass accumulation, greenness (chlorophyll content), and irrigation levels. For agronomists that
use remote sensing to control crop growth and productivity in their fields, the NDVI is possibly
the single most essential parameter. The NDVI runs from - 1.0 to +1.0 as a unit of measurement.
Positive value implies Greenness in an agricultural field or natural vegetation zone is rising. A
negative NDVI number implies that elements other than green vegetation, such water, soil, barren
landscapes, or clouds, are present. For a well-vegetated crop field, the most frequent NDVI value
is 0.2–0.9. NDVI values of 0.2–0.3 may indicate less densely vegetated shrub or grass. As well as
values in highly cultivated crop fields range from 0.4 to 0.9. the below table indicates the formula
for some of the most common VI’s used .
Image mosaicking
Digital aerial photographs that haven't been processed contain data in the form of numeric data
linked with pixel positions. It is impossible to access this data without creating this information
into known format. Photogrammetric technique are usually applied in this for getting Orth
mosaics and digital elevation models to get the 3D model regarding vegetation. This can be
acquired by converting several overlapping images into a single, smooth, geometrically accurate
picture. It may be used for evaluations of properties generally acquired from maps, such as
distances among objects, geographic positions of items, and area measurement, after
reregistration. Orth mosaicking is usually done with one of numerous desktop software
programmes created specifically for this purpose. There are also a number of cloud-based ortho
mosaic processing software choices. These software packages use SFM photogrammetry, a
machine vision approach that aligns aerial photos, combines them together into a bigger,
continuous image, and generates a point cloud, or three-dimensional representation of the
imaged region. The picture is also orthorectified using this model, which removes distortions like
lens distortion, inclination, and altitude effects from the output dataset. Aspects that may hinder
the effectiveness of SFM photogrammetry include Surface motion, uneven and excessive camera
angle and elevation above ground surface, highly reflective surfaces etc. There are 2 types of
DEMS used - Digital terrain mode which defines the altitude of surface of terrain and digital
surface model encounters elevation of bare earth. Photogrammetric technique usually involving
majority of application work including vegetative indices map construction.
Figure 15(a) Digital terrain model (b) digital surface model
Altitude
Nowadays, as per area and conditions, many countries make criteria depending on altitude. it
cannot be flown over 120 meters and as speed must be below 160 Km/H. You must be incredibly
aware of the boundaries where you can fly, depending on where you live. UAVs flying within 8
km of any airport in the United States and across domestic parks and military reservations is
currently prohibited.
Legal or not?
There are frequent changes to the rules governing drones. A very important thing to do before you
take your drone is to investigate the fundamental rules on drone travel in your nation and to know
them. There are restrictions to flying, especially in the neighbourhood of people, airports and
military locations, so verify before leaving.
Many regulations restrict drones from being used in many towns, the larger with more than one
airport. This has become an important regulation, as 15 examples of captured drones near other
types of aircraft were reported in the Washington Post study between 2012 and 2014. CAA states
that Any damage or failing of the drone leads to any criminal prosecution, The owner of the drone
will be responsible.
In the United Kingdom, the Civil Aviation Authority specifies that drones, such as quadcopters,
can only be flown if the Drone’s operator has direct, unassisted visual contact. This implies it is
unlawful to fly so high or so far that you can't see it from the ground.
Environmental criteria
Selecting your spot, the drone must always remain within our eye. Drone should be visible even
with binoculars. Also, there are some environmental conditions such as fog, Drone should not be
flown.
The Drone is a highly conductive electronic device therefore it should not be flown in the rain and
through clouds. Prediction of wind speed is a bit harder than sunshine and rain. In terms of
monitoring the field using drones in very high wind, it is not very efficient. Also, an autonomous
drone would change its path which is decided due to high wind.
Crop spraying is an agricultural application for drone technology. Typical contemporary drones
can carry more than ten litres of fluid pesticide at a spraying rate of more than one litre per minute,
allowing them to cover one hectare in ten minutes. To effectively employ drone technology as a
spraying platform, the spraying must be linked and coordinated with the previously outlined
imaging, processing, and automated analytics capabilities in order to accurately treat the damaged
area or plants. Such a strategy would not only improve dose in the regions impacted but might also
reduce the total usage of pesticides in the area.
Because of its speed and precision, UAVs are increasingly being used in spraying operations.
Certain factors diminish crop quality, such as some sections in the crop field not being fully
covered during spraying, crop regions overlapping, and the outside margins of the crop field being
sprayed. To tackle these challenges, a swarm of UAVs was deployed in a control loop algorithm
for agricultural operations, were unmanned aerial aircraft spray pesticides. The response from the
WSNs deployed in the field organises the process of spraying herbicides and pesticides on the
crop. A control loop communicates with each one to modify the trajectory of the unmanned aerial
vehicle to variations in wind speed and the quantity of messages sent in between. A small delay in
the control loop allows the unmanned aerial vehicle to assess data from the WSN to determine the
best path. It may also help to reduce pesticide waste. The discharge and pressure rate of the liquid,
spray uniformity and liquid loss, droplet density and sizes of a designed hex copter mounted
sprayer are all investigated in the lab and in the field.
The combination of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a sprayer system has the potential to
provide a platform for pest management and vector control. This is a precise location-specific
application for a vast crop field. The PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller enhances the
performance of the spraying equipment mounted to the UAV in pesticide applications. For this
purpose, big lift UAVs are necessary for spraying a broad region.
GENERAL SPECS OF
AGARS T20 is mainly used for comprehensive spraying purposes after doing field
planning and mapping in Agricultural areas autonomously as well as manually.
AGARS T20 also provides some special features like AI field planning, Real-time NDVI
mapping, long distance Task and Device management, centimetre level positioning
accuracy, Real-time mapping. These features can be very useful for planning and mapping
for spraying purposes.
This aircraft contains 18000 mAh, Li-ion battery. The total charging time is around 15-20
minutes. It can work up to 15 minutes with 27.5kg take-off weight and 10 minutes with
42.6kg take-off weight, once it is fully charged.
The operating frequency of the Radar used in this UAV is CE (Europe)/(United States):
24.00 GHz-24.25 GHz MIC (Japan)/KCC (Korea): 24.05 GHz-24.25 GHz. The power
consumed by this radar is 18W. The radar can detect up to 30 meters and covers 360°
horizontally in obstacle sensing operations.
The camera in this aircraft has Face of View of 98° horizontally and 78° vertical and
resolution of 1280×960 with 30 fps.
The operating frequency of the controller compatible with this drone is 2.4000-2.4835 GHz
and 5.725-5.850 GHz. Controller can be connected via both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The
battery of this controller is Li-ion 5000 mAh which takes 2.5 Hours to fully charge via
using USB 12V/2A.
Cost: 15000 USD
DJI MG-1P
This Octocopter is advanced and more convenient for daily operations. Very high
efficiency using this drone can be achieved because of multi aircraft control mode. Up to
5 of MG-1P can be controlled simultaneously using the MG-1P intelligent remote
controller.
MG-1P ensures Flight safety with advanced propulsion and control algorithms even with
a damaged arm. Precise positioning can be achieved with satellite-based positioning
systems.
The battery in this UAV is 12000 mAh Li-ion battery. Which takes around 15 to 20 minutes
to fully charge. This drone can be used for around 20 minutes with 13.7kg take-off weight
and 9 minutes with 23.7kg take-off weight, once fully charged.
Foldable Yes
Maximum operating speed 7m/s
Maximum flying speed 12m/s (With GPS), 15m/s (A mode)
Maximum Motor RPM 3780
Maximum Current 40A
Maximum Thrust 5.1 kg/rotor
Maximum Power 770 W
Liquid volume 10 L
Flight Range (altitude) 2000m
Automatic flight available or not yes
Gimbal No
Number of rotors 8
The working frequency of radar used in this drone is 24.05 GHz - 24.25 GHz and 24.00
GHz - 24.25 GHz. The relative altitude of the drone should be greater than 1.5m and speed
should be less than 7m/s for efficient work. Radar can sense objects within 1.5 to 30 meters
with a safety distance of 2.5m.
The Positioning system used in this drone is GPS + Badious for Asia-pacific region or
GPS+GLONASS. The positioning accuracy can be achieved using this system is 1 cm +
1ppm horizontally and 2 cm + 1ppm vertically. Velocity measurement accuracy is 0.03
m/s.
This UAV has an FPV Camera for front facing live view, which has a 123° wide-angle
Face of view with resolution of 3840×2160 at 60fps and 1920×1080 at 60fps.
Frame, Propeller material used: High-performance engineered Plastic.
The controller of this drone can operate with a frequency of 2.4000-2.4835 GHz or 5.725-
5.850 GHz. Maximum transmission range: up to 5km, Connectivity protocols : 4G
wireless connectivity, Output power : 16W, The controller has a Built-in 2s LiPo 320mAh
battery and an external 2s LiPo 4920mAh battery. Because of 4G wireless connectivity, a
maximum of 5 km transmission range can be used.
Approximate cost: 15000 USD
THEA 160
This hexa-copter is comparatively economical for stable and reliable spraying purposes.
THEA 160 can be used even under bad weather because of its waterproof, dustproof and
anti-corrosion properties. Both autonomous as well as manual flight available.
GPS and satellite navigation system is also available in this drone for reliability
improvement during the flight. Many important operations like Route planning, Automatic
flight operation, spray rate adjustment one key take off & landing, terrain following, and
fixed height flight are also available in THEA 160.
The UAV has a massive 22000 mAh LiPo battery, which can be used for around 10-15
minutes with 26kg take-off weight and can cover up to 3.3 acre, once it is fully charged.
Foldable Yes
Maximum flying speed 10m/s
Maximum Motor RPM 3330
Maximum flying speed 10m/s
Liquid volume 16
Gimbal No
Number of rotors 6
Microwave Radar is used in this drone, which adjusts the altitude with respect to the ground
surface up to 3 millimetres. This wave radar can detect obstacles within 13 meters and keep
a safe distance of 5 meters for avoiding the damage of the drone.
This UAV can be controlled with a 16 channel Radio controller, which can control drone
up to 5 km and also transmit the video feed up to 2 km. This highly integrated radio system
is also compatible with various features like multi aircraft control mode, one key
configuration and ESC calibration.
Approximate cost: 4900 USD
Mapping and analytics solution
The agricultural business has significant potential for drone technology and advanced picture data
analysis technologies. Drone solutions are possible to carry out accurate mapping for plan purposes
and check the state of crops and plants. However, like with any other tool, the correct approach
and configuration are necessary to properly use the available technologies. With the rising business
of drone technology and sensors, as well as the availability of image data processing and analytics
tools, the technological mix for the essential solutions must be carefully designed to optimise
advantages while minimising costs.
The capabilities of mapping and imaging of drone platforms with various sensors may be employed
through the complete manufacturing process to plan production and therefore enhance
productivity. Drone technology could be employed to evaluate the state of soil and hence potential
yields before the vegetation cycle begins. A true 3D mapping of the soil with a precise colour
coverage is the essential application in soil condition. The quality of the soil and moisture as well
as water flow are measured accurately. Cyclic flights can be used throughout the vegetative period
to monitor crops and the agriculture process to plan and respond quickly when problems are
noticed. Drone-enabled analytical products for NDVI index values assist in determining the exact
time to harvest. The combination of advanced air data obtained by drones with data from other
sources, such as weather predictions and soil maps, can contribute to finalising the information
and enable the farmer to make maximum use of the field and optimise returns to its natural
limitations. More importantly, drones are difficult to access for certain farms in the Asia-Pacific
and inaccessible locations, such as terraced rice fields or mountaineering fruit plantations.
A significant amount of data is formed as a result of the operation of drone systems. As a result,
the accuracy, resolution, and data layers utilized must properly represent the needs of every
individual purpose and should thus be designed on a project basis. The information gathered must
be properly applied and incorporated into the business process once the appropriate solution has
been devised and the data obtained does not exceed processing capabilities. Once the needed
technological mix has been installed, the analytical capabilities have been tuned, and the solution
has been properly integrated into business processes, the technology's full potential may be
realised, and productivity has increased significantly.
Maximizing yields and minimising workload, and hence product prices, will be critical in the
decades ahead as the world faces unprecedented rise in agricultural product demand, particularly
in the Asia-Pacific area.
Up to 50km/h of flying speed can be achieved at 2m above ground with adequate lighting
using this UAV.
In PHANTOM 4 RTK, Gimbal is also available for 3 axis stabilization(tilt, roll, yaw). For
independent movement of the camera, this Gimbal has a Pitch of -90° to +30° for rotation.
Up to 90°/s of controllable angular speed can be achieved by this Gimbal.
GNSS system is used for positioning purposes in this drone, which has both Single
frequency high-sensitivity GNSS module and multi-frequency multi system high precision
RTK GNSS.
Vision system in this drone can work up to 50km/h, 10m above ground with adequate
lighting, and can detect obstacles up to 30m.
Infrared sensor is available in this aircraft for sensing obstacles (whose reflexivity is greater
than 8%), which works effectively between 0.2 to 7 meters. the sensor has a face of view
of 70° horizontally and ±10° vertically.
Camera with a face of view of 84° and 1 inch, 20-megapixel CMOS sensor is used in
PHANTOM 4 RTK. Maximum resolution of 4864×3648 (4:3) and 5472×3648 (3:4) for
images and for video recording 3840×2160 can be obtained.
Propeller guard: no
The controller of this UAV can operate with 2.4000-2.4835 GHz or 5.725-5.850 GHz. The
controller can control a drone within 7km. 6000 mAh LiPo 2S battery is used in this
controller which takes approximately 2.5 hours to be fully charged using USB 12V/2A.
Cost: 6200 USD
P4 MULTISPECTRAL
P4 Multispectral is used to collect insights into crop health, vegetarian management and
Environmental monitoring using a multispectral imaging system, vision positioning and
GNSS positioning system.
This Drone can transmit both NDVI and RGB feed to detect the area where immediate
attention is needed. The drone is also compatible with D-RTK 2 GNSS mobile station, with
which higher positioning accuracy can be achieved even without Internet.
This UAV contains a 5780 mAh LiPo 4S battery, with which approximately 27 minutes of
flight time can be achieved, after it is fully charged.
Foldable NO
Maximum flying speed 50 to 58 km/h
Maximum ascent speed 6m/s
Maximum descent speed 3m/s
Maximum Motor RPM 1140
Maximum Flight Range (altitude) 6000m
Obstacles sensing range 0.7-30m
Number of rotors 4
Automatic flight yes
This drone has a 3-axis stabilized Gimbal. For movement of the camera, the pitch of the
Gimbal is -90° to +30° along with the tilt axis.
GNSS system is used for positioning purposes in this drone, which has both Single
frequency high-sensitivity GNSS module and multi-frequency multi system high precision
RTK GNSS.
Vision system in this drone can work up to 50km/h, 10m above ground with adequate
lighting, and can detect obstacles up to 30m.
Total six 1/29-inch CMOS sensors among which, one RGB sensor and five Monochrome
sensors with a total of 2.21 Megapixel are used in this UAV. The Field of view of this
camera is 62.7. Maximum resolution of 1600×1300 (4:3.25) can be obtained.
Operating frequency of the controller of this drone is 2.4000-2.4835 GHz or 5.725-5.850
GHz, with maximum transmission range up to 5km. Built-in 6000 mAh LiPo 2S battery is
used in this controller.
Cost: 6500 US
4 MODERN TECHNICAL APPROACHES
Common Sensors
Some of the basic operational sensors which are commonly seen in every autonomous drone. If
these sensors are not available or failed in autonomous drones it may face operational difficulties
of its basic functionalities.
Accelerometer
Providing Linear Acceleration for vertical and horizontal directions.
This helps in determination of velocity, direction of motion, rate of
change in altitude, and vibrations experienced by the drone. This
sensor is very useful in any kind of drone for determining whether a
drone is in motion or stationery. Most Accelerometers used in drones
are MEMS (Micro Electromechanical System) type sensors.
Figure 16Accelerometer
IMU
Inertial Management Unit is a combined unit of accelerometer &
Gyroscopic sensor for measuring angular & linear - velocities &
acceleration to manage Roll, Yaw and Pitch moment of Drone. Most
popular types of IMU used in the market are mainly 4 types: 1.
MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) 2. Quartz MEMS 3.
FOG (Fiber Optic Gyro) 4. RLG (Ring Laser Gyro)
Figure 17 IMU
Current & Voltage Sensors
Current & Voltage Sensors are useful to maintain the health of
the battery and monitor performance of the motors. Most
common current sensors are working on hall effects based
principle weather voltage sensors are working on capacitive
resistance principles. These sensors are also essential parts of
micro controllers.
Featured sensors.
Apart from Common sensors, Autonomous drones are made with many modern sensors as well.
Flow Measurement
Flow measurement sensors are mostly useful for irrigation and
pesticide spraying systems. It helps to monitor flow rate of
spraying systems for planning effective pesticide spraying. It
works on ultrasonic eco system principles.
GPS sensors
Drone with GPS sensors locate the position which can be
implemented to calculate pre-specified flight and safe landing
locations and also come back to home function. Also, this
sensor is useful for mapping and planning of pesticide spraying
and crop seeding which also needs help from a magnetic
sensor.
Figure 24 GPS Sensor
Figure 26 Barometric
Sensor
Rain sensors
Instantaneous Rain/Precipitation can be sensed by rain sensors which
triggers immediate flight orders to safe/home position according to
weather conditions. This sensor is working on a principle of total
reflection of light emitted from the sensor trigger.
pH sensor
This sensor is very much useful for sampling soils for salinity test. It's
working on electrolyte principles.
Figure 28 PH
Actuator Sensor
In very simple terms, to make something move or operate by device which is
called actuator. It converts the source of energy into physical motion. Autonomous drones have
many actuators which are used for landing, taking a flight, moving 360. In this case study, 3 types
of actuators will be discussed.
A. True X frame gives equal stability at every axis. Wide X is commonly likeable due to Wide
area available for component spacing. Hybrid X is most suitable for high speed due to more
stability at the pitch axis. Hybrid x
B. Dead Cat is only useful for creating a wide range of visibility at front space for HD cameras.
dead cad
C. H shape is not favourable due to bulky size but good for carrying more components.
D. HX shapes gives same structure stability as True X and also increase capacity as wide space
availability from H shape.
E. Z shapes decrease turbulence in forward motion.
F. Plus, shape gives Good at breakage and faster controlling actions.
G. Vertical arms shape Construction is complex but decreases drag without sacrificing
durability.
True X frame gives equal stability at every
axis. Wide X is commonly likeable due to
Wide area available for component spacing.
Hybrid X is most suitable for high speed
due to more stability at the pitch axis
Optimum Designs will Optimize above aspects in generative design methods for optimum design
using CAD applications as per applications. This will reduce unnecessary aspects for drones and
give desired parameters. Folding Designs: These mechanism types of structures of frames are very
popular due to its compact size and rate of higher flexibility.
Fluid actuators
4.1.2.2.2 Pumps
Pump is essential components in agricultural pesticide spraying for that plastic pumps are most
popular. This type of pump uses a brushless dc motor for spraying application so that inverter is
not required in this system. The size and weight of the pump should be lower. That's why this type
of DC pump is the best option to use in a drone. The speed is adjustable, corrosion resistance and
run dry capacity are benefits of this type of pump. It can easily manage the speed with a controller
with a very little or negligible amount of noise. The main advantage of this pump is its low voltage
power supply; however, quick discharge is not sacrificed.
Electrical Actuators
4.1.2.3.3 Switches
For On-Off system mechanical action switches are provide in drones but as a developing trend
electrical systems are becoming more responsive in actions so electronically controlled switching
systems are used as a fast alternative of switching off system are used in autonomous drone’s
weather switching on actions can also occur via remote action, but it depends on application and
user preferences.
4.1.2.3.4 Relays
Relays are the essential part in drones because major automatic switch on-off action in electrical
power supply systems in drones rely on highly responsive relays. Also, Distribution of power and
multi-pumping in the spraying system is also dependent on relays.
Microcontroller’s systems
Above schematics shows how a micro-control system is important in every autonomous drone
system. As shown in schematics microcontroller has basic functions like battery management,
power management, speed controlling system, flight control and gimbal controlling. As discussed
earlier in sensor sections, different sensors give output in the form of analogy signals which are
later converted in the form of digital and then it will be processed according to its purpose. Here,
Controllers play a major role to standardize the value and transfer this value to computing
parameters then use it as an input of actuators. All decision actions can only be calculated by
controllers and the communication of all other parts are also integrated with it. Sometimes, it has
been seen that some controller chips have inbuilt wireless communication systems like Wi-Fi or
Bluetooth. As shown from ESC’s schematics it receives input signal from the flight controller and
after processing the signal it gives output which will input voltage of the BLDC motor. Flight
control unit takes input from the remote controller and processes it with output of sensor data as
an environmental parameter. Gimbal control unit is sometimes optional due to static camara
requirements like spraying actions, but its controlling is required when analysing and mapping
applications are introduced. As per schematics every controller consists of some basic elements
like EEPROM, MCU, Protection circuits, Controlling and amplifying circuits. Other than this relay
and MOSFETS as electrical actuators and a bunch of required sensor inputs are available in
controllers of drones. Common protocols for microcontroller boards are SPI & I2C. Interrupts for
Microcontroller boards are ICP, Timer and UART.
Popular microcontrollers
𝑞 = 𝑞 = sin (rotational angle/2 * cos (angle between axis of rotation and z axis)
From the quaternions, we can calculate raw, pitch, and yaw angles.
( )
Roll ∅ = 𝑡𝑎𝑛
Pitch 𝜃 = 𝑠𝑖𝑛 2( 𝑞 𝑞 + 𝑞 𝑞 )
( )
Yaw 𝜑 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛
Flow chart of different Controlling actions
Above figure is a block diagram of the remote controller component. As shown, a non-isolated
DC/DC power supply is connected. Input from Joystick or command will pass through an amplifier
the MCU/MPU. MCU/MPU sends this command to RF transceivers which sends RF signals to the
drone wirelessly. Also, it has a screen interface and local Display interface which can connect to
smartphone and LCD display respectively.
Communication System
drones are often utilized for crucial tasks such as rescue monitoring and delivery in various types
of application also in agriculture. In this type of task, drones perform multiple operations together
where drone communication plays an important role. Therefore, it is important to understand
different drone communication systems.
In this case study three communication will be discussed:
1)radio signal 2) satellite 3) internet
satellite communication
Satellite communication (SATCOM) is a data transmission network which uses satellites in orbits
various locations from earth. Some of SATCOM's core features are extreme mobility, reliability
and high-speed data jam-resistant communication. These qualities might help drones for mission-
critical activities using video communication or image sensors in agricultural fields. The two most
prominent SATCOM technologies utilized for Drones to this day are low earth (LEO) satellites
with 2,000 km in height, while the satellites with geosynchronous earth orbital (GEO) with 35,000
km in height. Having an overview of Drones applications enhances their functionality and supports
the implementation of these systems across various drone applications.
K-band and Ku-band are typically used via satellite connections. The current tendency is to use
the Ku Band for satellites with high capacity (HTS). SATCOM systems in the ku band employ a
downlink of 11.7 to 12.7 GHz and an uplink of 14 to 14.5 GHz. These satellites can deliver over
100 Gbps of transmission in the coming years.
Communication Failure
As described above in 4.3, Drone communicates with remote control through signal. Drone can
lose this signal during a flight with any reason such as flown beyond its range or remote
malfunction. At this moment the drone will return to home automatically using GPS sensors.
Memory in the drone will store GPS where it took off and through that memory it will come at
that location or near to it to regain the signal.
Whether protection
During flight, a Rain sensor can sense rain and also in an automatic flight drone will detect the
high wind, because of losing a predefined path. while in this situation the drone will land
automatically in a safe area avoiding people, and hard objects and also it sends signal to remote
control.
Onboard Malfunction
Onboard malfunction is one kind of abnormal situation where there is no possibility to continue
flight at certain errors occurring in the drone. Shortage of fuel or battery, fire on drones and loss
of altitude are examples of onboard malfunction. This onboard malfunctioning can be reduced via
protection equipment and predefined error solution in on board system. This will protect the drone
from accident due to its own system failure.
5 IMPACT OF AGRICULTURAL AUTONOMOUS DRONES
Furthermore, due to increased population and a growing imbalance between supply and demand
for food, demand for agricultural robots and drones is predicted to skyrocket. Scientists have
responded by developing new technologies and methods for automating agricultural tasks such as
harvesting, ploughing, fruit picking, sowing seeds, monitoring, and milking.Established
agricultural machinery manufacturers are purchasing technology-based start-ups in order to
develop more advanced robots that can do the work of humans and fill the manpower shortage on
farms.
The agriculture industry is attracting investment firms because of its strong growth and excellent
return on investment. The agriculture industry is attracting venture capital firms because of its
robust growth and excellent return on investment. Many start-ups are creating agriculture robots,
such as weeding for removing trash plants and fruit picking harvesters, according to them.
EcoRobotix, for example, a weeding robot manufacturer that was launched in 2011, raised USD
11.0 million in series B funding. Ecorobotix had closed an agreement with BASF, Capagro
Venture Capital, and a private funding partner.
Market scope
The market scope in Asia pacific can be attributed to the rapidly increasing growth population,
availability of arable farms, and government support through subsides.
The growth this market can be attributed to increase in venture funding for the development
of agriculture drones and availability of software solutions to aid field survey and data
analysis.
The agriculture drones’ market is projected to register shipment of 439,728 units by 2025.it
is expected to grow at CAGR 36% during the forecast period.
Exemptions in operations by the US FAA for use of agriculture drones and high adoption
of aerial data collection tools in agriculture would create huge growth opportunities for the
agriculture drones’ market.
The market growth in North America is driven by the rising investment for the development
of agriculture drones in the region, as well as exemption in operations from the FAA under
the part 107 rule for operating agriculture drones.
Safety
Drones are typically thought to be safer for users than manned aircraft because there is no risk of
injury to the pilot in the event of a collision. They may also be safer for people on the ground in
the event of a crash because they are often smaller and so inflict less damage when they crash than
bigger piloted aircraft. Many drones have safety features that allow them to quit a pre-planned
mission and return to a predetermined landing place if they encounter problems. Drones, on the
other hand, are more sensitive to crashes than piloted aircraft because they are unmanned, and
accidents could result in injuries to persons on the ground. In the event of an engine failure, multi
- rotor devices are potentially more harmful than fixed wing devices because they tend to fall
vertically, whereas fixed wing devices can glide to the ground. Drones may have an indirect effect
on local people's safety if their use lessens the possibility of criminals or military assets operating
in the region in order to escape notice.
Privacy
The data must also be protected from cyberattacks and privacy must be maintained throughout the
operation or addressing issues of privacy issues, well-laid regulations appear viable alternatives
but, other It's also necessary to look into alternatives. While the UAV is performing its necessary
duty, a variety of cyberattacks are available. Eavesdropping, denial of service and information
theft are examples of Wireless attacks. Injections, for example, might have a significant impact on
the entire operation. There are a few things to consider when it comes to privacy. problems, such
as illegally photographing areas surrounding farmed property, spy-related worries, and so forth.
As a result, hard efforts are required to solve these issues. Blockchain-based solutions appear to
be a feasible alternative in order to resolve the security issue.
Psychological wellbeing.
It has been suggested that using new technology can enable local groups by allowing them to
collect their own data, specific rules, and counter claims made by those who may seek to deceive
them (Lewis and Ninotchka 2012). If drones were used for community-based forest monitoring to
deliver carbon measurements and other important data, they could give these benefits to local
people (Penque-Galvez et al. 2014). Drones in the hands of locals could be socially liberating in
this way.
Drones, on the other hand, have the potential to cause significant fear, misunderstanding, and anger
among the general public. In some circumstances, this may occur as an unexpected result of the
introduction of drones. Drones may inspire conspiracy theories, suspicions, and fantasies if people
on the ground do not understand or refuse to believe why they are being introduced, especially
when they are employed in rural areas of developing countries where people have had little direct
exposure to technological gadgets. In Tanzania, conservation drones were tested in an area where
locals believe in a supernatural creature known as Popo Biwa (Bat Wing in English), which hovers
at night, paralyses its victim, then swoops down and rapes them. There were significant fears
regarding this creature as late as 2007. (K. Steiner, pers. comm.).It's simple to see how the
deployment of drones in this situation could set off a new round of anxiety. Similar issues have
plagued the polio vaccination effort, which some suspect is part of a plan to sterilise Nigerian
Muslims (Otieno 2013). People may recognise a drone for what it is, but they may have
misconceptions about its intent, assuming it was dispatched by a private corporation, the military,
a terrorist group, or anybody else. Such perceptions have the potential to exacerbate or create new
conflicts.
Health impact
Checking crop health and spotting bacterial or fungal problems on trees is critical. UAV equipment
can detect which plants reflect various quantities of green light and near-infrared light by scanning
a crop with both visible and near-infrared light. This data can be used to create multispectral images
that track plant changes and indicate their health. A quick response may be able to save a whole
crop. Furthermore, once a disease has been identified, farmers can more accurately apply and
monitor treatments. These two options improve a plant's ability to resist disease. In the case of crop
failure, the farmer will be able to document losses more easily for insurance claims.
Technical challenges
System integration, such as integrating middleware services with the UAV, high-performance
systems for data analytics, Net-centric infrastructure, which allows any member of a team to
control the UAV and retrieve imagery and sensor data in real time, and machine learning
intelligence to identify and retrieve important ideas from a large pool of data are all examples.
Ethics and privacy: Some people believe that using UAVs for surveillance and monitoring would
be a violation of their privacy. A major difficulty is the lack of defined operational and
technological processes required for the safe operation of UAVs. Because of the vulnerabilities in
the command and control of UAV operations, there could be GPS jamming and hacking. Limited
payload size: Most UAVs are unable to carry a large load at once due to their small size. As a
result, their uses are limited to simple aerial photography and observation. Significantly though
there are large-scale UAVs such as, their flight time is restricted, and it is even shorter when they
are fully loaded. This constraint is particularly evident in the use of UAVs for crop dusting (the
delivery of pest/weed control chemicals or fertilizers to crops). This problem may have a solution
in the form of large gas-powered monocolpates. UAV autonomy: UAVs have a wide range of
applications in agriculture. However, the majority of them are still operated by people. This
restricts their use to particular periods of the day when visibility is clear. Advances in
computational intelligence, particularly in the areas of navigation, obstacle avoidance, autonomous
sensing, and actuation (doing pre-programmed tasks), could help UAVs gain traction in animal
agriculture.
Drawbacks
As discussed in the drawbacks further technical development needed for improving drone
performance and some of the limitations could be broken by exploring such amazing options for
other technical approaches. Nuclear propulsion and ion propulsion systems will be futuristic
options for extreme power sources for drones for better flight time and higher thrust powers. The
obstacle detection technology can be more enhanced by neural networks and more revolutionized
sensors which can capture faster and higher rates of responses. More systematic algorithms can
reduce unnecessary power consumptions and save time to revolutionize more drastic ways to
compute decisions for drone flight. In near time it's possible to see purely cloud based processed
drones for ultimate operations with 5G speed via satellite chain of communication which can
enlarge the range of internet connectivity on any location for any geodetic locations. Agricultural
systems has more potential to reduce man work and automate processes like safe keeping of crops
from pesticides and wild animals via different new approaches like virtual sound or image
generator, trimming unnecessary grass and branches via blade mobile blade cutters, automatic
irrigation operation via crop selection databases from seasonal perspective, large greenhouse
management systems, under layer soil seeding, natural farming with automations etc. are great
outcomes which can come with autonomous drones but this concepts needs to be polish more.
ABBRIVATION
[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
7 BIBLIOGRAPHY
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UAVs”.
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