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FAQ

Een foto van de trays en de gewassen voor een veredelaar

How Corvus Drones works in your greenhouse

Have questions about how Corvus Drones works? In this FAQ, you will find answers about drone functionality, installation, daily operations, maintenance, safety, data, and privacy. Discover how our autonomous drone solution helps growers monitor crops efficiently, collect reliable data, and integrate insights into their existing workflows.

1. Functionality of the drone

  • What applications are available?
    • Many standard applications in many crops are available and the general categories are:
      • growth monitoring
      • readiness monitoring
      • pest&disease detection
      • issue detection
      • yield forecasting
  • Are applications available in every crop?
    • In crops where the drone can fly over, like lettuce, potted plants, young plants or cut flowers, standard applications are available.
  • Can the drone navigate in between tomatoes?
    • Not yet, row oriented navigation is in development.
  • What’s the smallest object the drone can detect?
    • The smallest detectable object is 1 to 1,5 mm.
  • How can the drone detect batches in my greenhouse?
    • When batches are marked with horizontally placed QR codes, the drone automatically reads the codes and links all collected data to the corresponding batch. Even individual mini QR codes on each tray can be detected and tracked.
    • If QR codes are not available, but the grower knows the exact location of each batch in the greenhouse, we can use our Variety Mapper. This maps each variety or batch based on its predefined greenhouse location, allowing all measurements and reports to be generated per batch.
  • Can the drone also be used for spraying?
    • No, we are exclusively focused on crop monitoring
  • Can the drone fly to another docking station?
    • Yes, a drone can hop from docking station to docking station
  • What is the scan capacity of one drone?
    • Approx 1500m2 per flight of 20-25 minutes. In most cases, the drone scans a part of the greenhouse (sampling of 30% for instance). In that case, one drone easily scans 3 hectares per day. 
  • Can the drone fly around my sprayboom?
    • In some cases it can but always needs a double check.

2. Getting Started with the Drone

  • What is needed for a drone to fly at my facilities?
    • You will receive a complete drone-in-a-box package equipped with all necessary components, including the drone, batteries, docking station, and visual markers. The setup is a simple DIY process, making it suitable for any modern greenhouse. Your technical team will be guided remotely. For on site implementation extra cost will be charged.
  • Do I need to hire a drone operator?
    • No, the drone flies fully automatic without a pilot and everyone can operate the drone.
  • How long does it take to start with the drone (from order to first flight)?
    • The drone is produced on-order and within 6-8 weeks the implementation can be completed.
  • Will you visit my farm to implement the drone?
    • It is not necessary to visit your farm, all support can be done remotely. This keeps the cost low and prices affordable.
  • How and when can I see the data after the drone flight?
    • The information is automatically near real time available, within maximal 1 hour, in our web dashboard, email or integrated in your dashboard.
  • What about WIFI connection?
    • A 20 Mbps Wi-Fi connection is required at the docking stations, but once the drone is in flight, Wi-Fi is no longer necessary.

3. Drone Operations

  • Do I buy the drone?
    • No, it is a Drone-as-a-Service based on a subscription
  • How many drones do I need for my greenhouse?
    • This depends on the greenhouse size, the application and the scanning frequency. For example, a young plant grower needs 1 drone per every 5 hectare or a lettuce grower needs 2-3 drones per 5 hectare.
  • How easy is it to scale?
    • Scaling up is straightforward: just install additional docking stations and attach markers to the posts to begin operating more drones.
  • Can multiple drones fly in my greenhouse?
    • Yes, multiple drones can fly at the same time, hop from docking station to docking station and take over tasks.
  • What is the flight time of the drone and how long does it take to charge?
    • The flight time is 20-25 minutes, automatic charging takes 40 minutes, so within approx. one hour a mission from flying to charging is completed 100% automatically.
  • Does the drone fly during the night?
    • No, day light is necessary for good crop pictures and navigation.
  • Can I set a time for the drone to fly?
    • Yes, drone flights can be scheduled and at any time a new flight routine can be started.
  • What about drones and the usage of growth lights like LED?
    • For good picture quality day light is required and a combination with LED or high pressure sodium lamps is possible in many case. This is also subject of our implementation scan before starting the subscription.

4. Maintenance

  • Who is maintaining the drone?
    • The Drone-as-a-Service is an all inclusive service and you only need to clean the docking station connectors. Corvus Drones takes care about frequent (remote) software updates. In case of prop replacement, you get a replacement package and our instructions.
  • Is the drone or docking station waterproof?
    • No.
  • Can the drone handle the humidity in my greenhouse?
    • Humidity harms electronics in general. The docking station should be placed at a dry place. The drone can handle high pressure humidification equipment (unless not too frequent misting).
  • What do I need to do?
    • Only cleaning the charging pins of the docking station every 2-4 weeks. Check if the markers are correctly positioned and visible (clean).

5. Safety and Environmental Impact

  • Does the drone impact crops?
    • The lightweight mini drone generates minimal turbulence, ensuring that even the most fragile young tomato plants remain undamaged.
  • How safe is the drone for personnel?
    • The drone offers a high level of safety due to its lightweight design, has integrated propeller guards, and the flight path is above personnel. It is recommended to notify staff of drone operations and ensure they maintain a safety distance of five meters.
  • Does the drone spread pests and diseases in my greenhouse?
    • No, the drone generates negligible turbulence, and the rate of natural ventilation within the facility is significantly greater. Monitoring is conducted without physical contact with the vegetation, thereby ensuring no adverse impact from that perspective.
  • Does the drone have a ‘kill switch’?
    • Yes, via the control app in your smart phone, the drone can be stopped any time.
  • Is it legally allowed to fly an autonomous drone in my greenhouse?
    • Yes, the general air and space legislation does not apply for indoor environments like greenhouses. 
  • Will the drone avoid obstacles?
    • Yes, from 2027 all drones will be equipped with obstacle avoidance and existing drones will be upgraded.

6. Data and Privacy

  • Will my data be shared with other growers?
    • No, your data is only yours. The pictures can be used to improve the service, but will never be shared with other growers. By doing so, every grower takes profit from the affordable prices of the service.  
  • Am I the owner of the photos that the drone will take?
    • Yes, the grower is the owner and all pictures (and reports) can be exported to your own domain. 
  • Is there a way to import the data into my ERP system?
    • Yes, standard API’s are available.
  • How is the data flow?
    • The drone pictures are uploaded to the Corvus Cloud to be analysed (by our AI powered computer vision software or by our partners), the reports are available via a web application or straight forward email reporting.
  • Are these privacy topics formalised?