Parrot Sequoia Camera Turns Drones Into Flying Farmers

The guys at Parrot HQ in France have cooked up a multi-camera sensor that turns a drone into a farmer’s best friend, doing smart agricultural surveys that can figure out the best spots for crops and gage the health of plants from hundreds of feet above them.

Dubbed Parrot Sequoia, the kit consists of two components. Fitted to the underside of the drone is a multispectral sensor, effectively consisting of five differently-tuned cameras all in one cluster.

As well as a 16-megapixel regular camera, the box can also identify the specific green, red, red-edge, and near infrared wavelengths that, combined, allow healthy plants to be differentiated from stressed plants or bare soil.

The same component also includes 64GB of onboard storage, WiFi, and movement sensors including a magnetometer and IMU. Mounted to the top of the drone, meanwhile, is the sunshine sensor. That has four spectral sensors which track the same filtered light as the camera array, together with GPS, an SD card slot, and matching movement sensors.

By comparing the raw sunlight with the results from the fields below, farmers will be able to predict crop yields, identify possible areas where water or pesticide are required, and pinpoint the best place for extra fertilization. Parrot isn’t the first drone company to wade into agricultural use, though it says its system has the advantage not only of being modular and fitting to any fixed-wing or multi-rotor style UAV, but of being around half the price of rivals.

The guys at Parrot HQ in France have confirmed that this will be available later on this year and we at Yuppie Gadgets cannot wait. See, we even take care of our local farmers too :-)

For our current range of Parrot Drones and Spares, click here.