When designing the Stratus AirSprayer, the team at Precision AI looked at large operations in Western Canada or in the U.S. and how drone applicators fare on those farms. “Most of the drone technology out there really can’t scale,” Daniel McCann, founder and CEO of Precision AI, told the Farms.com Precision Ag Digital Digest. “The energy inefficiency of typical drone designs makes it impossible to carry a lot of liquid volume. The tanks are small and the amount of energy you need is untenable.” Precision AI took some of its design inspiration from paragliders. The AirSprayer has one three-blade propeller on the back and is powered by a 100hp Rotax gasoline engine, which supports up to five hours of flight time. It needs a maximum of 500 feet (152m) for takeoff. The swath widths are 18ft (5.49m) or 30ft (9.14m), and the nozzles are spaced every 10 inches. The dual tank capacity is 60 gallons (227L) or 100 gallons (378L). “We really tried to build this with the farmer’s workflow in mind,” he said. “It’s just a standard gas engine that every farmer likely already knows how to maintain.” 12 THE STRATUS AIRSPRAYER FROM PRECISION AI The Sprayer is Equipped with a Precision Vision System and Operates Autonomously DIEGO FLAMMINI FARMS.COM
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQyMDk=