3 ms·
Per the article, you need a drone the size of a Robinson R44 to be effective. A R22 is too small.
by gvb 7y ago
Per the article, you need a drone the size of a Robinson R44 to be effective. A R22 is too small.
- HeyLaughingBoy 7y agoI'm really more surprised that a truck with a boom-mounted rotor that simulates helicopter downwash wouldn't do a good enough job. Clearly someone has to have thought of that (note that they already tried fans), so I wonder what the difference is. The operational costs have to be a small fraction of a helicopter's.
- cr0sh 7y agoOr even fixed-on-a-pole rotors. The fans they were likely talking about are probably the horizontal-style fans you see in orchards for (mainly) frost prevention (they look like small windmills). But why not very large rotor fans - maybe mounted HVLS fans, perhaps a bit larger, and maybe spinning a bit faster. Surely something like those would be cheaper to install and run 24/7 - assuming they worked as well?
- mbrameld 7y agoThen you would need access roads throughout the orchards so your land use would be less efficient. Same as with tree farms and why they transport them with helicopters, too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK3fV6EbTOo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK3fV6EbTOo
- BrandonMarc 7y agoI'm thinking: a fan the size of the ones they have on air boats - the flat-bottom boats with the giant powerful fan on the back? That kind.