Abstract

This study investigates the characteristics of the spraying system on unmanned aerial vehicles developed by the company NOBA Robotics. Four spraying methods including: manual and with hand-held machine, tractor and UAV as well as the experimental arrangement are presented. The results show that the effectiveness of the UAV method is clear in terms operating time. Parameters such as coverage area, spraying span, size and uniformity of droplet are calculated by the analytical method and compared with those provided by the manufacturer and experimental results from which to evaluate the effectiveness of using UAV in pesticide spraying. Different nozzle layouts that can lead to different spraying effects are analyzed based on experimental results. The specifications and characteristics of the pump system are tested against different power levels to ensure the reality of the operating system. Droplet size, flying altitude on sprayed object and horizontal wind speed are also discussed in evaluating spraying efficiency. The results of this study show that the method of using UAV gives 20 times more productivity than the manual method without reducing the effectiveness of pest control.