Apr 20, 2023

Fully autonomous drone introduced for large scale farm operations

Hylio has introduced a fully autonomous drone for large scale agricultural operations.

The AG-130 has an 8.0-gallon tank capacity with an application rate of up to 50 acres per hour, according to the release.

The AG-130 possesses an eight-rotor unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) platform equipped with a high-precision spraying system consisting of two 4.0-gallon tanks, air-induction nozzles, and electronic flowmeters. It has two wide-angle radars, a built-in HD camera and two GPS units.

Hylio develops drone systems that completely automate precision agriculture processes.

Rising fuel costs, advancing technology, and a need for improved soil preservation tactics has created a growing interest in using drones for agricultural purposes. The AG-130 is the largest capacity drone Hylio has created to date, according to a news release.

The AG-130 Enterprise Kit includes a toolkit for drone maintenance and operation, eight 16 Amp, 44.4V (710 Watt) lithium-polymer batteries with LED indicators, and four two-channel lithium polymer battery charging units that are each capable of charging two batteries simultaneously. Each charger can charge a pair of batteries in approximately 30 minutes, depending on the charge rate that the user chooses.

The Enterprise Kit includes lifetime access to Hylio’s proprietary agricultural UAS ground control software (GCS) called AgroSol, a one-year warranty for component defects, and a full training course covering the maintenance and handling of the UAS, precision agricultural knowledge and techniques, UAS regulations, and safety, according to the release.

Hylio’s AgroDrones can be flown in either autonomous or manual flight control modes. To fly in autonomous mode, operators simply need to define an area to treat, input how much product to apply, press “Take Off” and the drone will do the work, according to the release.

While the Hylio drone is in the field applying material, an array of sensors relays real-time access to data such as GPS position, flow rate, altitude, and more. All flight and treatment data are stored in the operator’s account providing access through the Hylio interface to historical application maps, maintenance data and more.

Operators can command up to four UAS from a single ground station as they complete fully automated operations. Each Hylio drone also comes with an RC controller for optional manual mode. The controller features a 1080p screen for first-person view video streaming so operators can see what the drone sees in real-time. Radar sensors guide the drone to avoid obstacles in autonomous or manual mode. And for situations where product application needs to be accurate down to the centimeter, Hylio offers add-on RTK base stations for enhanced precision.

Based in Houston, Texas, Hylio’s technology helps farmers apply crop treatments directly to problem areas, allowing growers to increase yields by addressing pests and deficiencies with more accuracy and efficacy. Hylio’s drones are used by organizations including USDA, Texas A&M, U.S. Department of State, AgEagle and King Ranch.