From delivering packages to protecting
borders drones are being used all over the world for a plethora of tasks. Governments, Companies, and citizens are
constantly finding new techniques of implementing drones to help solve a
problem or at least to make life easier. BioCarbon Engineering, a UK based
company, is planning on battling deforestation with the use of drones. In their
minds the only way to combat industrialized deforestation is to industrialize reforestation.
To achieve this, the company plans
to tackle the problem in two steps. First, drones will fly over a forested area
and use camera to create a 3-D visual rendering of the area. The created visual
will be used to scan for areas where trees can be planted. Once these areas
have been specified, a second drone equipped with a pressurized can and seed
pods will be dispatched out. This drone’s objective is to plant the seed pods
in the proper area. It will autonomously follow the predetermined path and go
to the marked locations where it should plant a tree. Once it reaches that
location it will lower to height of 3-6 feet and shoot a volley of seed pods
into the ground. Once this is done it will move onto the next marked location. The
seed pods are “pre-germinated and covered in a nutrient-laden hydrogel”. This greatly increases the pods chance of a
successful growth.
BioCarbon
estimates that these drones will be able to plant countless more trees than
humans and for a fraction of the cost. The company expects the drones to plant
about 10 seeds a minute. With several drones being controlled at once they
believe it is possible to plant 36,000 seeds a day. This method would save 85%
of the expenditures it costs currently to replant trees.
The company presented the prototype
of the drone at the UAE’s “Drones for Good” competition and won $1.25M to
continue constructing their drones. Once
the company finalizes the drones, it will obviously need to get acceptance to
use them either by private landowners or governments. While the benefits of
this program are astronomical the legal battle that will be fought beforehand
will be a long one. Due to the security risks of flying so low I wouldn’t be
surprised if the federal foresting agencies will just contract the technology
from BioCarbon and implement the reforestation themselves.
BioCarbon’s initiative draws us
further from the possibility of having serious global disasters due to lack of
forests. Yet it draws us closer to a completely autonomous era. Industrialization
is now moving to expand into everything. Drones have numerous benefits and can surely
make life easier and safer. However, when will it be too much? I can just
imagine now coming outside in a couple of years and all you see in the sky are
drones. They might be delivering packages, or watching the neighborhood whether
by cops or by the neighborhood watch, how unfortunate it will be for Craig’s
mom’s bush then.
I think this is a great idea. While the thought of moving towards a “completely autonomous era” is slightly scary, I think that there idea is necessary. Why not use our advancing technology to do the planet some good. We always complain that modern technology is hurting people by making them dumber, lazier, and less connected; so why not use technology to help our planet survive? I think that they have a great plan using two drones and the type of seeds they are using however I agree that one of the toughest parts will be getting permission from the landowners. Personally I think that having a drone do the work of humans is great because it is easier, more cost effective, and I don’t think many people would be out there doing this work for the money. It would either be done because they care about trees and the planet and are “green” or because they need a job. I think giving a less desirable job to drones not only is smarter, but is more effective in combating deforestation.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a very interesting post. I personally have not thought all too much about drones. To me the legal implication have always been too long, tedious, and firm that I did not think it would happen anytime soon. The post also opened by eyes to the other opportunity the technology has to offer. The idea of drones being used to replant the forests was something that never crossed my mind. I really like this idea, if done correctly this could solve a lot of our environmental problems from endangered species to deforestation. I do however, think that the idea of an autonomous world is something that is quiet strange and potentially dangerous. As drone replace peoples jobs there would be a rise in poverty, unemployment and potentially conflict. I know we will discuss this matter more in class and I look forward to hearing more about the topic.
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