Canadian company Forward Robotics presents the U7AG as an autonomous aerial application system, designed for large farms. The company recently integrated a wing extension into the base-wing, and the wing-span is up from 4 metres to 6.3 metres. The swath width is unchanged.
The fixed-wing spraying speed for its advanced thrust vectoring vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) technology will be software-limited to no greater speed than 100 km per hour. While 120 kph is mechanically achievable, it is actually suboptimal after factoring in recharge time.
The U7AG has a 7-metre boom. Forward Robotics has structurally integrated a 30-litre spray tank into the fuselage, with an optional expansion of tanks up to a total of 45 litres. The drone is capable of fully automated, ultra-fast VTOL refills of 60 seconds. The result is an overall, refill-included single-aircraft rate of a maximum of 150 acres per hour, delivering performances comparable to self-propelled sprayers. Forward Robotics says this provides the benefits of aerial application at a significantly lower cost.
The company says its fixed wing design allows it to achieve significantly less chemical drift than other drones. With rapid automatic refills and higher water volumes. A higher gallons per acre application (4 gpa) can be used without compromising productivity or coverage, minimising drift from movement and evaporation associated with fine droplets.
Forward Robotics is currently mainly focused on foreign markets because of pest management limitations in Canada. The company is also building customised drones for other companies using its technology.
Specifications
| Manufacturer: | Forward Robotics (Canada) |
| Product: | U7AG |
| Max payload capacity: | 45 litres (50kg) |
| No. rotors / effective swath width: | 4/7 m |
| Max flight time (per charge): | 30 km |
| Battery capacity in mAh: | – |
| Standard charge time: | 1 hour station charging with station of 4.8 kW |
| Recommended retail price: | Starting from $50,000 |
