LAKE ALFRED, Fla. — University of Florida researchers are turning remote-controlled toy helicopters into high-tech monitoring devices for citrus and other crops.
The researchers equip the helicopters with cameras, then buzz them over the trees and fields. They then take high-resolution photos that can spot diseases and problems with watering.
The helicopters are being used to monitor other crops in Oregon, Nebraska and Arkansas and even Malaysia. They cost between $3,000 and $20,000, depending on the chopper's size and sophistication of its camera.
The researchers say that for most farmers, their equipment is better than full-sized helicopters and fixed-wing airplanes flown by human pilots.
They say those are too costly. They also say the photos aren't crisp because the full-sized helicopters can't get close to the crops.