Day 51: Sattur – Drones Are Not Perfect, But They are Better

No one can claim that drone technology for agricultural use has been perfected yet. It is effective still with whatever limitations it has. This is a fact that we accept and are very transparent with because whatever is, is visible during the demonstrations.

Welcome to Day 3 in Tamil Nadu. We are on Drone Yatra Day 51 and in Sattur region for a demonstration. Today’s farmers were an interesting lot because they were being very technical in their questions, which although was challenging, was also good because we know that they understand the functioning of the drones.

One of the main questions that came up post the demonstration was the drone’s coverage. Since the particle size is very small, they were unable to understand how the entire plant was covered. We then proceeded with a tissue test to show how the tissue, even when placed under the plant was covered in the drone’s spray, is when they were satisfied.

The farmers also wanted to know the kind of hurdles that can be encountered during spraying. We covered all of them, major one being obstacles in the farm such as electricity poles, trees and more. The drone is also susceptible to electromagnetic forces from high-tension, high-voltage lines passing through the field, making it non-serviceable. But, that is a very small percentage, we can cover all other farms.

We are almost at the end of the yatra of Tamil Nadu. We are now headed to our last destination in Gobichettipalayam. Stay tuned!