FARM DRONES!

Chris Anderson

QuickTime™ and aH.264 decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Looper (2012)

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Unchanged for last 1,000 years:

A one-pixel-per-row analog sensor network (rose plant used to spot

fungal infections in vineyards)

THE BIGGEST COMMERCIAL MARKET: Agriculture

Company Confidential

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Big Data Agriculture

Opportunity: "Closed-loop farming". Use aerial data

capture to use chemicals/water/labor only

where they’re needed.

x 0.5x

Half of farm inputs are wasted due to lost information (the “open loop”

problem)

Company Confidential

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Why agriculture?

• Spot disease/problems faster

• Use less chemicals and water (save money, better for food and environment)

• Improve productivity

• Two words: private land

• Safe: under 400ft, visual line of sight, no built-up areas, few obstructions, no people

• When used by farmers for their own purposes, non-commercial

Highest Economic Benefit

Lowest Regulatory Barrier

Company Confidential

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Source: AUVSI

Dro

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s

Company Confidential

Why agriculture?

•Spot disease/problems faster

•Use less chemicals and water (save money, better for food and environment)

•Improve productivity

•Two words: private land

•Safe: under 400ft, visual line of sight, no built-up areas, few obstructions, no people

•When used by farmers for their own purposes, considered non-commercial

Highest Economic Benefit

Lowest Regulatory Barrier

Step 1: Mark

farm on tablet

Step 2: Watch

drone map farm

Features:•Precise georeferencing•Real-time path planning•Multiple aircraft control•Vision-based event detection

Company Confidential

Plants show damage in infrared and near-infrared

(Chlorophyll absorbs infrared light. Damaged plants have less chlorophyll)

Source: Vincent Family Farms

Source: Airphrame

Source: Airphrame

Source: Ryan Kunde, DRINK Wines

Source: Ryan Kunde, DRINK Wines

Source: Airphrame

Source: Airphrame

Questions?