A multi-purpose drone has been developed by Avinash Rao, a resident of Nidle village of Belthangady taluk in Dakshina Kannada district. The drone, which has received four patents, not only saves areca nut trees from getting infected by pests, but also paints tall buildings with 10 to 15 floors.
Avinash said, “The most difficult job is to remove pesticides from areca nut trees. I have made some design changes in the original version of the drone in order to achieve this.”
“I had received a request from the Coconut Development Foundation to find a solution to cure the infected coconut leaves. This drone can cut the infected leaves from the coconut tree,” he explained.
Apart from this, the drone can also be used to remove dust accumulated on the blades of wind mills and to examine high voltage electric wires.
Priced between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, the drone is expected to be released into the market by April 2018. The IT and BT Department of the state government has recognised the work and awarded Avinash with Rs 50 lakh for Idea to Proof of Concept.
Published 14 July 2017, 19:20 IST