Imperial researchers have created drones that can attach sensors to trees to monitor environmental and ecological changes in forests.
Sensors for forest monitoring are already used to track changes in temperature, humidity and light, as well as the movements of animals and insects through their habitat. They also help to detect and monitor forest fires and can provide valuable data on how climate change and other human activities are impacting the natural world.
However, placing these sensors can prove difficult in large, tall forests, and climbing trees to place them poses its own risks.
Now, researchers at Imperial College London’s Aerial Robotics Lab have developed drones that can shoot sensor-containing darts onto trees several metres away in cluttered environments like forests. The drones can also place sensors through contact or by perching on tree branches.
Read more at Imperial College London
Photo Credit: StockSnap via Pixabay