Japanese drone manufacturer Nileworks has raised just $25 million to develop technology enabling its automated crop-spraying drones to determine how much treatment each field requires. Investors include Kumiai Chemical Industry, the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan and the Japanese National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations. Nileworks said its drones can detect field shapes and spray crops from just 30 cm above the ground. The technology should allow the vehicles to calculate how much pesticide is required, based on the crop’s appearance. The product is due to go on sale in 2019 in Japan and the rest of Asia in 2020, targeting rice producers.
Japanese drone manufacturer Nileworks has raised $7m to develop technology enabling its automated crop-spraying drones to determine how much treatment each field requires. Investors include Kumiai Chemical Industry, the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan and the Japanese National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations. Nileworks said its drones can detect field shapes and spray crops from just 30 cm above the ground. The technology should allow the vehicles to calculate how much pesticide is required, based on the crop’s appearance. The product is due to go on sale in 2019 in Japan and the rest of Asia in 2020, targeting rice producers.