THE DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF AN AGRICULTURAL QUADROTOR DRONE FOR SPRAYING PURPOSES

The design and development of a drone for spraying pesticides on agricultural lands have been described in this paper. The drone developed is a quadcopter integrated with a spraying mechanism. A quadcopter can be described as a mechanical device that can hover using propellers fitted into it is four arms. Hovering is achieved using one set of clockwise spinning propellers and another set of counter-clockwise spinning propellers that generate the thrust required to facilitate the taking off and hovering process. The agricultural industry contributes heavily to Nigeria’s GDP, thus making it one of the chief sources of revenue. It is the foundation of Nigeria's economy and contributes to approximately one-fourth of its gross domestic product. It is inevitable that fertilizers and pesticides will be used to increase crop yields. However, few health-related problems can arise due to prolonged exposure to such chemicals during manual spraying. A few examples include mild skin irritation to congenital disabilities, changes in genetics, falling into a coma, or even death in severe cases. Drones have been used extensively in agriculture over the past few years. This paper describes the components required for the successful design and development of a quadcopter that can be utilized for spraying fertilizer on agricultural lands. The quadcopter is equipped with a container carrying a Direct Current water pump fitted with a pipe and nozzle arrangement. The liquid passes and is controlled using the instructions that the user provides the controller with.