Fully Autonomous Crop Dusting

Commercial farmers have long taken to the skies to spray their crops, but renting an aircraft is getting more expensive, and their less-than-targeted application can destroy landscapes. Meanwhile, choppers are too big and commercial drones are too small. So Guardian Agriculture created a solution to fit farmers just right: SC1, the first commercial eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft to receive FAA approval. The fully autonomous vehicle carries up to 200 pounds of fertilizer or pesticides and uses on-board technology to precisely cover 60 acres per hour. The 600-pound craft, which is currently operating in California, “delivers the large payloads American farmers need to exactly the places they need it,” says Guardian founder and CEO Adam Bercu.