Frustrated by a lack of first hand information on the potential requirements of the widely anticipated but slow to develop commercial UAV marketplace, Winnipeg, Canada-based MicroPilot has unveiled its own hand launched crop monitoring system based on a series production remote control model aircraft.
The CropCam system is initially being targeted at agromonists in the firm’s Canadian home market, with its market release primarily intended to provide MicroPilot with first hand access to end user experiences and lessons says Howard Loewen, company founder and president.
The small and mini class of aircraft clearly has the potential to emerge as the largest single portion of the future civil UAV marketplace says Loewen. “It could be bigger in the long run than the military market in the small segment”.
MicroPilot is one of the worlds major suppliers of small and mini UAV autopilot systems with sales extending into 49 countries.
But despite its success as a subsystem provider, the company has become increasingly aware that its understanding of how the small to mini sector is evolving has largely been filtered. “We are always one step away from the end user” Loewen says, despite some extremely close working relationships with manufacturers around the globe. “We wanted some things that would give us more contact with the end user to get first hand knowledge”.
That same objective has also seen the company launch its own miniaturised sensor turret for small vertical to take off and landing UAVs: “If we can do the best job that we can in that segment now, as other sensors reduce in size they will flow to mini and small and therefore provide new opportunities”.
The agricultural UAV concept was directly inspired by the dominance of farming in the regions around Winnipeg. Initial studies indicated a requirement for a low cost, robust system that would enable farmers to monitor standard Canadian half mile by half mile allotments - better known in that region as ‘quarters’. Similar agricultural production methods around the world point to a possible international marketplace Loewen says, with the company now looking to build a distributor network for the system.
The selection of an optionally electric or two stroke engine powered radio control aircraft rather than develop a new air vehicle has provided “instant access to a platform [and] allows us to ride off someone else’s volumes” Loewen says.
The first prototype system flew in third quarter 2005 with the air vehicle carrying MicroPilot's own autopilot system integrated with a miniature Trimble GPS navigation system and stripped down Pentax digital camera. A number of systems are currently deployed with argromonists in the Winnipeg area to provide initial user lessons.
Transport Canada has worked closely with MicroPilot to ensure the UAV can be flown safely and legally within that countries air traffic regulatory regime. The company plans to support buyers in obtaining standing permits for use of the system by providing the bulk of necessary paperwork, with this same approach to be taken for any international sales.
The air vehicle camera system can cover a full ‘quarter’ with eight timed photos that are GPS stamped to provide accurate geolocation of images. The system is intended to provide a readily accessible alternative to the use of contracted aerial photography services and satellite imaging, both of which already play a major role in the domain of “precision agriculture”.
The agricultural sector is already a major user of systems such as GPS and computer-based land and environment monitoring systems, with UAVs representing a relatively low technology leap Loewen says.
However, real barriers remain. The $7,000 cost of a complete CropCam system “represents a lot of money for a civil user. They want to see that it works”. Likewise the cost of liability insurance continues to act as “a hurdle, particularly for small operators”.
The civil UAV marketplace is currently in need of “champions” Loewen says, “people who are a little bit fearless and are prepared to see what the technology can do”.
At the same time the defining market drivers are still to emerge. While the military has found the small and mini systems are invaluable in providing battlefield situational awareness, “we haven’t seen the killer application yet for small civil UAVs”.
Current market conditions have some parallels to Microsoft’s launch of the Windows operating system for personal computers Loewen argues, with the emergence of Lotus 123 driving its widespread adoption. There are already a large number of small to mini platforms available but what is needed is a “combination of a user who sees value, and all the other things that they need that really make it valuable”.
Emergence of a civil market in the sector is also being distorted by the very nature of the military’s requirements. “There is way too much money tied up in selling to the military. Companies gravitate to where the margins are best but this distorts the potential for civil roles to emerge”.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
