A University of Sherbrooke research team specialising in aerial robotics has developed a self-powered, drone-mounted tool that is able to collect foliage samples from high up in tree canopies, according to a report from Friday Offcuts.

The DeLeaves canopy sampling tool is suspended beneath a drone, is equipped with an HD camera, and has two robotic arms to collect foliage samples from trees.

The tool was first used by a group of horticulturists to sample foliage from tropical forests in Vietnam.It has been deployed by the Canadian Airborne Biodiversity Observatory to study the spectral and functional trait differences within tree crowns; and has been used to sample Douglas Fir, Silver Firs, and Western Hemlocks by the National Ecological Observatory Network team.

Since then it has been used to collect samples of tree canopies in North America and Europe. It has further potential for crop sampling in agriculture. The DeLeaves canopy sampling tool will be showcased at the ForestTECH 2021 event being run in Rotorua, New Zealand in November.

Source: Friday Offcuts
Visit: www.foresttech.com