Background
Drones can be considered as the next big thing. Although it has been out there in the market for a little while now, it was mostly known for its military uses. It was popular for how the governments used drones for military based missions and other confidential purposes. Although it was mostly seen as a weapon, it proved it has many other useful characteristics as it made entry into the commercial world. The drone has evolved and has shown many of its facets as it spread around the world. The uses of drones are beyond human imagination. It is very surprising and fascinating to know how versatile such a small machine can be.
Drones uses range from capturing sports events to putting out wildfires. Yes, they can help fight fires! In 2007, a wildfire occurred in Southern California. Drones equipped with infrared sensors were able to penetrate through smoke walls and gather information regarding size and intensity of the blaze. Helicopters were used before to perform these duties, however the agility and easy-to-access factors help drones outsmart helicopters. Drones only take minutes where helicopters take hours. On the other hand, drones have evolved to play a very crucial role in large-scale farming. Farmers, nowadays, use the aerial abilities of drones to monitor their farm. The infrared technology also identifies sick plants.
Well, Why is this relevant now? Although drones perform many wide varieties of duties, there are many other areas where drones are not introduced. And, one such industry is the coconut harvesting industry. Coconut cultivation and harvesting plays a vital role in many developing countries. Coconut does not get restricted into household uses, it also plays a crucial part in the economic phase many regions around the world. The job of coconut harvesting is done through manual labor in these regions, however, the risky business it is, the number of people who does this job is decreasing day by day. There are many factors causing this decline, fatality tops them all. The impacts of incidents are more devastating than we think. Therefore, our group has come with the idea of harvesting coconuts using drones. Since coconut acquires a special plays many regions around the world, it can negatively affect the community if it is just decided to not harvest the coconuts. Therefore, it is necessary to harvest them, but sacrificing human lives is not the way. It is time for the change.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) What is the motivation for this project?
The main motivation for this idea came from Professor Herczfeld, who directed us to utilize drones to solve problems in developing countries. All of the group members are from Kerala, India where coconut cultivation is a main agricultural activity. But, harvesting coconuts is a challenge for farmers due to many reasons like probability of fatal accidents while climbing the coconut tree, lack of skilled labors, high labor cost etc.. In this situation, the group thought that a drone might solve these problems and make the coconut cultivation more profitable for farmers.
2) How would this drone help the coconut industry?
Harvesting coconuts manually is costly and time consuming. Therefore, the big cocnut plantations have to employ many coconut climbers to harvest the coconuts to keep up with the demand. The Coconut Harvesting Drone should greatly increase the efficiency of harvesting coconuts, and in turn increases profits for both the farmers and coconut retailers.
3) What are some safety issues concerning the Coconut Harvesting Drone?
Flying the drone at low altitudes will increase the chances of colliding with a person and causing an injury. The lack of experience or training in drone flying can also lead to many accidents.
4) Will this drone only work with coconut trees?
It can be used to harvest other hard to reach agricultural products like mangoes, and jack-fruits. It can also be used to cut down trees.
5) What is the cost of the Coconut Harvesting Drone?
The total cost of the Coconut Harvesting drone adds up to $4256. This amount is a rough estimate as there are many variables. Unforeseen issues may arise during the building and testing process, which may lead to the purchase of more items.At this price range, the Coconut Harvesting Drone is geared more towards coconut harvesting plantations and companies rather than the general consumers. As drone technology advance and decreases in cost in the future, the Coconut Harvesting Drone can become more affordable for the consumers.
Sources
Background picture: LinkSidebar Slide Show: Flickr
