Design and Implementation of an Agricultural UAV With Optimized Spraying Mechanism

Taylor’s University, 1, Jalan Taylor’s, 47500, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: sweeking.phang@taylors.edu.my

Abstract

Agricultural UAVs are growing and developing rapidly throughout the whole world due to its extensive advantages. Agricultural drones are transforming on the way farming is being carried out. They are very suitable and agile for working in a large area of land and rough terrains with high efficiency. Agriculture drones are much bigger in size where they will have a larger and wider spraying span. They can increase and improve the efficiency of spraying more area of land in a shorter duration compared to a knapsack sprayer. The entire research design is based on quantitative research, which was conducted through simulation using SolidWorks, MATLAB and Ansys Fluent. SolidWorks was used for planning, modelling and visual ideation of the agricultural drone. Each of the individual components of the agricultural drone was measured, sketched and designed. MATLAB was used to simulate the agricultural drone to fly in a specific pattern to water a certain area. Velocity, acceleration, position and flight pathway graphs were plotted. These data were collected to observe how evenly the entire area being sprayed is fully covered. Ansys Fluent was used to display the velocity that the fluid will be flowing inside the nozzle and spraying it out.