Precision Ag News

Laser communication terminal for precision agriculture applications

Munich – Mynaric can today announce that it is developing a lightweight laser communication terminal to be used within an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for precision agriculture uses.

The terminal, which is a variant of Mynaric’s existing air-to-ground terminal, is destined to be used by an undisclosed commercial partner who needs an ultra-low weight terminal – of under 2 kg – so that it can be fitted to UAVs of limited size and weight without affecting the UAV’s operational capabilities. Mynaric’s new laser terminal will be available in early-2020.

To assist with precision agriculture applications, such as surveying acres of crops in minimal time and collecting information from the ground on potential insect problems or watering issues, the terminal is being designed to downstream information at a data rate of 1 Gbps at distances up to 10 km.

Development work on the micro laser terminal will lead to a new addition to Mynaric’s product range capable of commercial uses other than just for agricultural purposes. The terminal’s low size, weight and power consumption could see it used for additional small drone applications such as emergency response and environmental crime.

The precision agriculture industry is predicted to grow to a market of over $43 bn by 2025 as farmers increasingly use developments and advancements in technology more capable of allowing them to cost-effectively monitor acres of farmland and assess potential threats and problems.

Notes to editors
The new variant of Mynaric’s laser terminal for lightweight application is being developed with an eye to additional uses other than for precision agriculture with future planned uses including:

- Emergency response scenario: to allow rescue workers to operate in any area affected by a loss of connectivity;
- Urban surveying scenario: ensuring the application of building regulations by gauging data from buildings and urban skylines;
- Environmental crime scenario: data collection to assess if trees have been illegally felled and if deforestation is occurring legally.

Source :https://mynaric.com/