Precision farming and air quality measurement techniques require the development of tools that provide real-time information with high accuracy. Flying plates and airborne sensors are constantly evolving to meet the needs of plant detection and ground reconnaissance. Due to payload restrictions, multi-copter flight plates are generally limited to carrying heavy systems such as cameras to assess plant health, air quality monitoring sensors or irrigation systems. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to develop an optimized, high-performance and stable unmanned aerial system (UAS) dedicated to precision agriculture. It is capable of meeting the requirements of the Moroccan agricultural market, more precisely in the regions of Rabat Sale Kénitra, Beni Mellal Khenifra, Settat Casablanca, Marrakesh Safe, and Souss Massa, which will provide data from the real-time monitoring of common outdoor air pollutants and can even raise the liquid capable of making the treatment of agricultural surfaces. This is achieved thanks to the dimensional design of a professional hexacopter that can carry a payload of up to five kilograms, with a fully automated process and without pilot intervention to ensure safe handling. The payload can be used for cameras, air quality sensors, or both, or even other innovative solutions. This item is a set of components that has been selected and analyzed to meet the criteria of the optimized design, with the exception of the control and structure parts. The final prototype was validated through simulation to ensure that it met performance standards, resulting in a stable and maneuverable Hexacopter.
Volume 12 | 07-Special Issue
Pages: 1395-1404
DOI: 10.5373/JARDCS/V12SP7/20202242