Design and implementation of a novel seeding drone

Abstract

One of the most important environmental problems that the world facing is undoubtedly the deforestation problem, especially due to forest fires. Early detection and prevention of fires, extinguishing them before they grow, and reforestation in burned areas are widely studied solutions to deforestation. However, the number of technological studies related to reforesta-tion is limited compared to the other fields. The main purpose of this study is to develop a 4-winged (Quadcopter) seeding Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to be used in the reforesta-tion of hard-to-reach areas. This tool can also be used in seeding agricultural lands. In the design of the drone, to achieve high-quality flight performance, engines with a thrust power that able to lift at least twice its own weight and the Pixhawk flight control card to ensure the autonomous tracking of routes are preferred. F450 drone frame with 9045 propellers is used in the study. Moreover, a completely unique seeding system and a suitable landing gear are designed and fabricated. Operation of the seeding system is realized using Arduino Nano and a step motor. In the tests, our UAV device and the seeding system operated smoothly, and it was indicated that drones could achieve reforestation in hard-to-reach areas to prevent deforestation. This research can be further developed for seed dispersal in other agricultural applications and for larger areas.

Keywords

• Deforestation
• Seeding
• UAV
• Quadcopter

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