Deployment and performance study of an ad hoc network protocol for intelligent video sensing in precision agriculture

Abstract

Recent advances in technology applied to agriculture have made possible the Precision Agriculture (PA). It has been widely demonstrated that precision agriculture provides higher productivity with lower costs. The goal of this paper is to show the deployment of a real-time precision sprayer which uses video sensing captured by lightweight UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) forming ad hoc network. It is based on a geo-reference system that takes into account weeds inside of a mapped area. The ad hoc network includes devices such as AR Drones, a laptop and a sprayer in a tractor. The experiment was carried out in a corn field with different locations selected to represent the diverse densities of weeds that can be found in the field. The deployed system allows saving high percentage of herbicide, reducing the cost spent in fertilizers and increasing the quality of the product.