Precision Ag News

Medium-sized, eight-motor autonomous drone joins the IQ Series and ZenaTech’s Drone as a Service for planned precision agriculture and solar maintenance applications

Vancouver, British Columbia, (September 3, 2026) – ZenaTech, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZENA) (FSE: 49Q) (BMV: ZENA) (“ZenaTech”), a technology solution provider specializing in AI (Artificial Intelligence) drone, Drone as a Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS, and Quantum Computing solutions, announces that its ZenaDrone subsidiary has completed an initial Version 1 prototype of the IQ Octo, its new autonomous drone purpose-built for precision spraying and seeding via Drone as a Service. The IQ Octo is designed to precisely apply fertilizers and crop-protection products and to distribute seeds, helping farmers reduce input costs, avoid crop damage and soil compaction, access difficult terrain, and improve the efficiency of planting and treatment operations. The IQ Octo Version 1 is expected to begin field testing at the company’s Arizona facility in the coming weeks.

“Precision agriculture is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the drone industry, with market analysts predicting over 30% annual growth over the next five years,” said Shaun Passley, Ph.D., CEO of ZenaTech. “Extending our ZenaDrone IQ Series into autonomous spraying and seeding positions our Drone as a Service business to capture a meaningful share of this expanding market. We believe the new IQ Octo, and the recurring service and data opportunities it can create, represents a compelling long-term value driver for both future customers and our shareholders as we continue to diversify our autonomous drone and services portfolio.”

The IQ Octo Version 1 is a medium-sized autonomous drone built on an octocopter design with eight motors, part of ZenaDrone’s growing IQ Series. Battery powered, it is designed to fly for approximately 20 to 25 minutes per charge and to carry a payload of up to 25 kilograms of seeds or liquid. In addition to spraying and seeding, the platform’s Version 2 is expected to support solar panel maintenance applications, swarm capability, automated refilling, and a folding design. Depending on the mission, the agricultural configuration will either carry a liquid tank equipped with spray nozzles, or a hopper with a spreader for seeds. Following a programmed flight path, the drone is designed to fly low over fields and automatically apply liquid treatments or distribute seeds at controlled rates with even coverage.

Farmers use drones for spraying and seeding because they can apply products precisely where and when they are needed, including in wet fields, difficult terrain, and areas with standing crops. This can reduce chemical, seed, water, fuel, and labor requirements; prevent soil compaction and crop damage from heavy machinery; improve worker safety; and enable faster, more targeted treatment as part of a broader precision agriculture system.

The Company will provide further updates as additional development and testing milestones for the IQ Octo are achieved.

Source: https://www.zenatech.com/