Researchers from Saudi Arabia and the US want to use drones to drop biodegradable sensors en mass over crops. The 3D printed sensors, called "PlantCopters" attach themselves to the leaves of plants and then accumulate data on growth, health and surrounding microclimate. In a paper published in Nature Communications, researchers describe how they have developed an automated system that can collect information about plant growth using drones.
Researchers from Saudi Arabia and the US want to use drones to drop biodegradable sensors en mass over crops. The 3D printed sensors, called "PlantCopters" attach themselves to the leaves of plants and then accumulate data on growth, health and surrounding microclimate. This data is then transmitted via Bluetooth, with the expectation that in the future it will be sent to AI, which can help connected autonomous farming robots make intelligent decisions.