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Innovation is an important part of MMCD's mission and new technology helps ensure that we are operating efficiently and safely. Some of the newest additions to our control program are UAS/drones, which are used to do both wetland surveillance and larval treatments. We spoke to two drone technicians from the Maple Grove facility to learn more about this emerging technology:
Quick Facts About the Drone
Maple Grove's drone in the parking lot.
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The drone by itself only weighs 80 lbs.
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The drone's battery weighs 50 lbs.
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The carrying capacity of the drone is 30 lbs. of dry material.
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Total weight (including battery and dry material) is 160 lbs.
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The diameter of the drone is 10 ft. long.
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The drone has GPS communication and so does the controller.
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The drone can detect close objects.
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The drone needs 2 people in order to operate.
Cool Features
Map on the controller showcases the drone's flying track.
MAPPING
The controller is able to map the areas that will be treated. Some people call this feature "racetrack" due to the lines presented in the map. Other people call it a swath pattern. The drone uses this to efficiently figure out what is the best way to cover the field with the material. The pilot is able to modify the track the drone will take to treat the wetland depending on the wind for that day. This track can be narrow, wide, diagonal, vertical, horizontal, etc. as the goal is to efficiently use the drift to drop the material to the wetland.
ACTIVE RADAR.
Under the drone, there is a can look-alike that works as a radar. This radar also comes from the top of the drone and it scans the environment for everything and anything. It is continuously watching for trees and other obstacles down to a centimeter. This active radar does not allow the drone to be flown into something. If it detects something, it will stop. Even if the pilot pushes hard on the controller's buttons, the drone will not move. The control will show a radar that indicates where the obstacle is. It has different colors to indicate different things. The red shows how far away the object is and it will measure how far things are from the drone. Additionally, the control will talk to the technicians.
Drone indicates where the objects are.
Drone.
GPS COMMUNICATION.
The drone knows where it is at all times. It uses radio wave frequencies to communicate back and forth. The control also knows where the technicians are due to its GPS. The GPS Communication allows the drone to know how much battery it has left and what it is doing. If it gets to the point the battery is about to die, the drone will fly itself to the place it took off. It will do the same thing if for some reason it cannot communicate with the control.
The New vs The Old
When it comes to choosing between the current drone and the old drone, both drone pilots agreed that they prefer the current drone. Why is that? The current drone is designed much better. It has a bigger capacity and is much more safer. The old drone had the batteries connected very loosely and it had no working camera. Additionally, it lacked safety avoidance features, which are crucial to having a drone flying in the sky. The new one has cameras and can sense if there are objects near and it can be programmed for specific tracks.
(Left to right) Current drone and old drone size comparison.
Flying the Drone
In order to fly a drone, there must be a group or duo of drone technicians working together. In our Maple Grove Facility, our drone techs Chris Brown and Sam Burmeister work together in order to complete any air treatment. One of them will be the pilot who controls the drone via remote and the other will be the visual observer who keeps an eye on the drone. The FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] has a law that does not allow drone technicians to fly the drone beyond what they can see. Therefore, by having someone be the eyes, they are able to efficiently work together with the drone by maintaining communication with each other using their phones.
Some of the things they look out are trees, powerlines, animals (livestock and or pets), people, vehicles, houses, etc. If there's a tree or powerline nearby, they sometimes raise the height of the treatment by 10-40 feet just to make sure they have a large margin. The air allows drifting to occur which is how majority of the air treatment is done, it drifts alongside the air and into the wetlands. In addition, the drone is not allowed to fly over people. Any vehicle they may come across, it is assumed that there is already someone inside. In this case, all treatment stops and the drone flies back to its landing zone.
Additionally due to the heavy weight of the drone, it is essential that they work together in order to lift the drone and place it on their landing/lifting zone. With the help of each other and the drone, they are in and out of wetlands in about 15 to 20 minutes.
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- Chris and Sam lifting the drone.
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- Chris and Sam setting the drone in place.
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- Chris and Sam preparing the drone.
Can Anyone Fly a Drone?
In order to fly a drone, a person must have quite a few certifications. These include the FAA certification, which is a true pilot's license. Sam was able to get his license last year with a few weeks of studying even though he did not have any experience beforehand. Other certifications include Category B Pesticide license (for aerial applications) from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Having these two licenses allow our pilots to safely conduct air treatment via drones. These licenses expire annually and need to be retested in order to renew.
