Ninox Robotics to Launch Military Grade Drone for Agricultural Inspection

While the name Ninox Robotics may not ring a bell, the company is set to achieve great things in Australia. The company is working on providing agricultural surveillance services to government agencies, farmers and firefighters in Australia. Ninox has been undergoing various trials and tests of its drones in New South Wales and Queensland.

These UAVs have been put to a variety of tests to ensure that they are up to the task of providing real time information to the various entities mentioned above. A UAV made by Bluebird Aerosystems measures up to 3 meters in wingspan and has two cameras located on it. One camera is for thermal imaging while the other is for regular visual imaging. The drone was put to use in a real life situation where it had to spot 2 dogs amongst a herd of sheep. In addition, it was also tasked to track a fire, find a lost person, and locate wild boars to direct a sharpshooter so he could take out the pests. The drone succeeded in all instances.

The Ninox UAV program is quite unique because the company has been able to work with the local Civil Aviation Authority and operates beyond conventional, commercial drone usage limits. Its drones can fly as high as 400 meters in both autonomous and manual modes, completely out of the direct line of site. These drones are even capable of flying at night and can stay up in the air for around 4 hours, cruising at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour.

Australian farmers and land owners have been battling evasive pests for decades. So the use of drone technology will help spot and eliminate certain animals that wreak havoc on the owner’s land. Some damage is estimated to be worth millions, which is why it makes sense to use drones to locate and get rid of the problem. This technology will certainly be more effective and inexpensive when compared to sending humans out to find the animals.