by Keri Brenner, Napa Valley Patch
One of the first applications of unmanned aircraft robots for commercial use in the country is being tested on North Bay vineyards -- with apparent success, researchers said Wednesday.
The RMAX, a miniature, motorcycle-sized, computer-controlled helicopter produced by Yamaha Motor Corp. under a partnership with University of California, Davis, was unveiled to the press and to 75 Napa Valley grape growers at a series of demos at UC's testing station in Oakville, Napa County.
"We're finding it's as effective as the current methods (of watering crops), and more efficient," said Steve Markofski, a Yamaha business planner and trained RMAX operator.
Currently, many vintners and other growers use a ground tractor pulling a spraying rig to water their crops.
Ken Giles, a UC Davis professor and co-lead-researcher on the project, said the RMAX is much more focused than a ground rig. For the half-hour it takes for the tractor rig to water an acre of crops, the RMAX can do the same space in "a fraction of that time," he said.
Giles said two Napa Valley vineyards, Mondavi and Harlan Estates, have been participating in testing the RMAX since November 2012. One of the other advantages of the RMAX is its ability to take aerial video of the crops, he said.
"Most growers already get aerial imaging, but our winemakers are saying that they can get a better look at the canopy, and get the information faster and cheaper with the RMAX (than with traditional aerial viewing using manned airplanes)," he said.
Giles said the current FAA approval is only for watering, but if that is successful, future applications could include pesticide spraying or other agricultural functions.
Markofski said the RMAX needs FAA approval before Yamaha could go into production in the U.S. The FAA granted approval for the testing based on the partnership with UC Davis, he said.
Yamaha has been deploying earlier versions of the helicopters for watering rice paddies in Japan for more than 20 years, he said.
"They've found it's less expensive, safer and causes less crop damage," he said.
He said Yamaha's target goal for putting the RMAX into commercial markets is September 2015.
Unmanned, computer-controlled aircraft -- sometimes called "drones" -- are already in wide use in the military for surveillance and for deploying weapons. Commercial uses for the aircraft robots, however, have so far taken a lesser priority until recently.
