Earlier this year researchers at the Perm Polytechnic University in the West Urals came up with a solution that is said to lengthen agricultural drones’ fatigue life while lowering their manufacturing cost. That would make it possible to use such drones in collecting data and drafting electronic maps of agricultural fields to be used by professional agriculturists.

A team at Perm Polytechnic showcased a prototype of a light and durable drone designated Acro3D Scanner which is reported to be able to perform much longer missions than the current competition. At the core of the solution is a competitive concept called SandwichFrame; instead of a conventional carbon frame, specially soldered printed circuit boards based on composite epoxy materials were used, making a drone a multilayered, or sandwiched, structural body.

With the technology, the developers said they have made their drones lighter and smaller while leaving their key parameters such as strength, stiffness and functionality uncompromised. The Perm team is offering a modular type of multirotor, each aircraft comprising what a specific farmer needs. The new drones are easy to assemble, too.