Started as a company in 2017, ROGA Drone is one of the new players in the UAV market, and Don Campbell believes there’s an untapped market in Western Canada for UAVs to spray insecticide. His flight plan? The Kray drone.
The Kray drone is a fixed wing UAV using eight rotors to keep it airborne, flying more than 100 km/h with the help of a front propeller. With a five-metre boom (about sixteen-and-a-half feet), it can carry up to 15 kg (33 lbs) of product, delivering insecticide at an ultra-low volume, ideally, about three feet above the crop canopy on an autonomous flight path.
While 2018 will mostly involve field trials and testing of pesticide and fungicide spraying, Campbell believes the targeted, spot-spray approach can be a valuable tool for farmers looking to spray where traditional equipment may find it difficult.
