AeroVironment-Quantix

Description

AeroVironment

Source: https://www.avinc.com/

AeroVironment is a leading supplier of small, unmanned aerial vehicles to the U.S. Department of Defense and to other allied nations. AeroVironmnet has been working in multiple areas of security, agriculture, commercial flight systems, Electric vehicle and various other energy and drone related solutions. With the rapid rise in population, farmers must increase the yield of their crops. Furthermore, crops should be free from disease and pest to avoid wastage of food. Moreover, identification of ground topography is mandatory before planting, for better irrigation system delivery right from seeding till harvesting. Such factors are determined using multi spectral images of soil and crops. These extensive gathering of information is possible using drones and data analysis software, which helps in producing a complete map of the field based on the requirement.

Quantix

Source: https://www.avinc.com/

To begin with, Quantix is a specially designed drone by AeroVironment to meet the demands of precision farming. It brings all together a new age of remote sensing for aerial mapping and inspections for agriculture use. It is designed for a safe launch and soft landing, and a better speed. Quantix has ability to cover more than 400 acres of land per hour and can fly continuously for 45 minutes. In any drone, its camera is at his heart of innovation and holds a greater importance in the success of the drone. Quantix has dual 18 MP cameras which captures double the imagery as compared to a normal drone. In addition, it gathers high resolution RGB (upto 1’’/ pixel) and multispectral images (up to 2cm/pixel) from an altitude of 400ft and has a self-calibrating solar sensor to provide ambient light, necessary for calibration of multispectral sensors.

Source: https://www.avinc.com/

Decision Support System

Quantix has a fully automatic system wherein, operator must trace a map on the screen and press the fly button to start the process.  It collects high resolution images and displays it on the screen. This information can be uploaded on AeroVironmnet’s Decision Support System (AV DSS) for interpretation and correlation of the data. Later on, this data is fused to provide a quick and smart intelligence based recommendations about vital changes on field.

Here, are the words from Matt Strein, Director of Business Development at AeroVironment,

The findings from this research strengthen the capabilities of AeroVironment’s Quantix and DSS ecosystem.Quantix boasts a hybrid design that combines the aerodynamic efficiency of a fixed-wing aircraft with the flexibility and safety of a multi-rotor drone. Quantix is the first hybrid drone to be introduced to the agricultural marketplace and is designed to pair seamlessly with AV DSS, allowing growers to review drone-collected data easily for both quick insights and deeper analysis.
Quantix collects RGB and NDVI multispectral images that can be viewed on-site immediately after each flight and then are uploaded, processed and stored securely in the cloud for growers to view either on their mobile device or a desktop computer. The AV DSS will feature a mobile app component allowing producers to collect and record infield observations. The platform is equipped with an alert system that instantly notifies farmers of anomalies in the field so that immediate action can be taken to address stressors.
Source: Agwired

Source: https://www.avinc.com/

Future

In addition to its use in agriculture, Quantix expands its flight in areas of energy, transport, safety and other utilities. AeroVironment’s constant endeavor to develop better products puts them in front in the race of drones.  To conclude, AeroVironment’s flight of civil drones is surely going to reach new heights in the area of precision agriculture.