Advancements in drone technology broaden scope of application scenarios in China

Drones apply fertilizer over a field at a farm in Fanrong village, Zhalantun city, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (Photo/Han Yingqun)

Thanks to the rapid development of new technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things, and big data, application scenarios for drones in China have been substantially expanded. Now drones are being deployed for the purposes of aerial photography, conducting performances, spraying pesticides, and assisting with emergency rescues, among other operational scenarios.

In 2021, more than 120,000 agricultural drones were used to spray pesticides on fields stretching over 1.07 billion mu (about 71.33 million hectares) across farmlands in China, which improved pest-control effects by between 10 percent to 20 percent while the pesticide utilization rate was increased by more than 10 percent, according to data from the country’s National Agro-Tech Extension and Service Center (NATESC).

At the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, a feast for the eyes was presented to the world during a light show that included the deployment of 2,022 drones performing in one large swarm.

Reconnaissance drones have also been used to collect images in an attempt to analyze detailed photographical data on channels along the Lhasa-Nyingchi railway over the Yarlung Zangbo River in Shannan city, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. The application of these drones has effectively reduced the work intensity of patrol personnel in the area while enhancing the safety of flood control efforts during the flood season.

In the Qinghai section of the Qilian Mountain National Park, 40 protection and management stations have deployed 50 drones to monitor the land within the park’s perimeters.

Drones have similarly emerged as efficient tools in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. In April, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai deployed a drone to deliver medicines, cutting the delivery time from half an hour by car to just 15 minutes, which also helped to reduce the risk of cross-contamination or infection.

Meanwhile, drones have been used for the inspection of power transmission lines. This summer, the first AI-powered drone inspection center in east China’s Zhejiang Province was put into operation in the province’s Yuhang district. Workers can simultaneously fly multiple drones to perform specific tasks through the center’s flight control platform and realize the systemic monitoring of power transmission lines with a length of nearly 1,000 kilometers.

The platform can detect potential risks with over a 90 percent accuracy and automatically transfer collected data in real-time. The use of drones and AI technology significantly reduces the difficulties and costs associated with patrolling power transmission lines while improving the safety and efficiency of power transmission infrastructure.

Assisted by the 5G low-altitude intelligent network of the Nanjing branch of China Unicom, the Nanjing Maritime Bureau enabled the remote takeoff and landing of a 5G-capable drone in June, realizing long-distance cruising over water surfaces and the real-time transmission of high-definition videos for the first time. The drone flew 50 kilometers, breaking through the previous barriers of traditional drones in terms of their limited communication and range capacities.

Thanks to the integration of drones, the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, remote sensing technology, big data, 5G and other technologies, the digital management of a farm has been realized in Bei’an city, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province.

By combining modern technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data and cloud computing, drones have been widely used in remote sensing, targeted plant protection, intelligent seeding, and other aspects, boosting the development of China’s smart agriculture industry, said Lan Yubin, director of the National Center for International Collaboration Research on Precision Agricultural Aviation Pesticide Spraying Technology.