Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/401644
38 NOVEMBER 2014 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com R obots have not made a deep penetration into tree fruit and vineyard operations. There have been some efforts to develop robotic pruners and to perfect a mechanical hand that can pick fruit. But how about flying robots? There's more excitement about those. They're called Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), avoiding the military image associated with the name drones. Perhaps surprisingly, there are many manufacturers of UAVs, which come in two kinds. Some are small fixed wing aircraft, but most are small helicopters with from three to six rotors. They vary in size upwards from a few pounds. Big ones could carry sprayers; small ones com- monly carry cameras as their main tool; only the military versions carry missiles or guns. The military drones are really big and really expensive, costing around $30 million each, flying up to 60,000 feet altitude, staying aloft 32 hours. But you can buy a small one, right now, that will fly 25 minutes on battery power and cost under $1,500. And it carries a great camera. It could take pictures in your orchard and send them to you, nearly a half mile away, using the same kind of WiFi system that hooks you up to the Internet while you're in the coffee shop. Ordinary people rarely hear about UAVs except in their military guise or when a company like Amazon makes news by revealing a plan for doorstep delivery of packages using small, unmanned helicopters. But, behinds the scenes, there are dozens of manufacturers ready to pounce on what could be a huge market once the Federal Aviation Administration opens up the sky for them. The FAA has been ordered, by Congress, to propose a set of rules by September of 2015. The rules must "integrate" these devices into air space now divided into commercial airline, general aviation, and military uses. Right now, UAVs can't be used for commercial purposes (except by you, yourself, on your own land). UAVs are treated like hobbyists' model airplanes, restricted to 400 feet altitude. Regulation needed Researchers from at least four universities are studying agricultural applica- tions. Ken Giles at the University of California-Davis is working with a fixed wing model in grape vineyard applications, the only fruit-related effort under way. Washington State University is studying the use of UAVs for chasing away birds. To many farmers, a call for government regulation may seem like asking for trouble. But that's what the UAV industry is doing. It's seeking to be integrated into the airspace. The industry is organized in a 42-year-old group called the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, located in Arlington, Virginia. In a letter last April to FAA administrator Michael Huerta, AUVSI president Michael Toscano spoke on behalf of nearly 40 organizations—many of them in row crop agriculture. Signers included air traffic controllers, the American Society of Agronomy, and associations representing soybeans, wheat, barley, and canola. "The safety of our skies and fellow citizens is our top priority. That is why we support regulations to govern the technology," Toscano wrote. "The current regulatory void has left American entrepreneurs and others either sitting on the sidelines or operating in the absence of appropriate safety guidelines." The potential benefits for UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) should not be underestimated, he said. "Whether it is helping farmers improve crop yields, assisting first responders with search and rescue missions, or advancing scientific research, UAS are capable of saving time, saving money and, most importantly, saving lives." In an economic impact study, the organization estimated that this new industry will create more than 100,000 jobs and $82 billion in economic impact during the first decade following integration into the airspace. "But with each passing day that commercial integration is delayed, the United States continues to fall behind," the letter said. Melanie Hinton, senior communications manager for AUVSI, said that other countries that have less restrictive airspace regulations are moving ahead rap- idly. By one estimate, 40 percent of the rice grown in Japan is sprayed with some 2,300 unmanned helicopter-type vehicles, which have effectively replaced pilots and "cropdusters." The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture began promoting the concept nearly 25 years ago. Canadian police have used UAVs to find lost people; Australia uses them to monitor beaches for sharks. New Zealand sheep ranchers use them to locate sheep and evaluate grazing conditions. If UAVs gain use in the United States, about 80 percent of the applications will likely be in agriculture and most of the rest in public safety—monitoring traffic or searching for lost people, Hinton said. The University of Alaska is studying their use in patrolling oil pipelines looking for leaks. This past summer, UAVs were used in Washington State to pinpoint the location and size of wildfires to help deploy fire suppression efforts. In approaching FAA, the industry has asked for the integration of UAVs UAVs—also known as drones—are waiting in the wings to come into orchards and vineyards. by Richard Lehnert