Hudson Regional Health Commission, Secaucus, New Jersey, United States of America.
Center for Vector Biology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2020 Sep 18;15(9):e0235548. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235548. eCollection 2020.
We constructed an electric multi-rotor autonomous unmanned aerial system (UAS) to perform mosquito control activities. The UAS can be equipped with any of four modules for spraying larvicides, dropping larvicide tablets, spreading larvicide granules, and ultra-low volume spraying of adulticides. The larvicide module sprayed 124 μm drops at 591 mL/min over a 14 m swath for a total application rate of 1.6 L/ha. The tablet module was able to repeatedly deliver 40-gram larvicide tablets within 1.1 m of the target site. The granular spreader covered a 6 m swath and treated 0.76 ha in 13 min at an average rate of 1.8 kg/ha. The adulticide module produced 16 μm drops with an average deposition of 2.6 drops/mm2. UAS pesticide applications were made at rates prescribed for conventional aircraft, limited only by the payload capacity and flight time. Despite those limitations, this system can deliver pesticides with much greater precision than conventional aircraft, potentially reducing pesticide use. In smaller, congested environments or in programs with limited resources, UAS may be a preferable alternative to conventional aircraft.
我们构建了一个电动多旋翼自主无人机系统 (UAS) 来进行蚊虫控制活动。该 UAS 可以配备四个模块中的任何一个，用于喷洒幼虫剂、投放幼虫剂片剂、撒播幼虫剂颗粒和超低容量喷洒杀虫剂。幼虫剂模块以 591 毫升/分钟的速度喷洒 124 微米的液滴，在 14 米的条带内喷洒，总施用量为 1.6 升/公顷。片剂模块能够在目标点 1.1 米范围内重复投放 40 克的幼虫剂片剂。颗粒撒播器覆盖 6 米的条带，在 13 分钟内处理 0.76 公顷，平均施用量为 1.8 公斤/公顷。杀虫剂模块产生 16 微米的液滴，平均沉积量为 2.6 滴/平方毫米。UAS 农药的施用量与常规飞机规定的施用量相同，仅受有效载荷能力和飞行时间的限制。尽管存在这些限制，但该系统可以比常规飞机更精确地施药，从而有可能减少农药的使用。在较小、拥挤的环境中或资源有限的项目中，UAS 可能是常规飞机的首选替代方案。
