Volocopter and John Deere Partner on VoloDrone

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

We usually think of farming as a back-to-the-earth, humble enterprise, eschewing urban sophistication for rural simplicity.  Volocopter, the height of such urbanity, and John Deere, its green and yellow tractors shearing suburban lawns and its giant combines harvesting wheat fields worldwide, are blurring those lines with the VoloDrone, an agricultural implement like no other. The largest John Deere combines weigh over 30,000 pounds (13,608 kilograms), while the most a Volocopter can carry is around 440 pounds (200 kilograms).   This disparity can seem heavily on the side of brutish strength, but agility and finesse also play a part in farming. Unveiled at the aptly named Future Technology Zone in Hall 13 at Agritechnica in Hanover, Germany, a demonstrator model of the VoloDrone equipped with a crop protection sprayer hung over the John Deere exhibit.  Those 200 kilos of potent spray can cover a large area.  With autonomous possibilities, the machine is not a threat to anything but the bugs or weeds …

Riding the Sunshine Highway

Dean Sigler Electric Aircraft Materials, Solar Power, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Sunday, July 22 found your editor at Bend, Oregon’s High Desert Museum for the finish of the 2018 American Solar Challenge.  The race started in Omaha, Nebraska on July 14 and followed parts of the Oregon National Historic Trail and the Lewis and Clark Trail. Omaha, NE (Starting line) – July 14 Grand Island, NE (Checkpoint) – July 14 Gering, NE (Stage stop) – July 15 – 16 Casper, WY (Checkpoint) – July 16 Lander, WY (Stage stop) – July 17-18 Farson, WY (Checkpoint) – July 18 Arco, ID (Stage stop) – July 19 – 20 Mountain Home, ID (Checkpoint) – July 20 Burns, OR (Stage stop) – July 21 – 22 Bend, OR (Finish line) – July 22 Teams came from colleges and universities all over the world.  Six of the single-occupant vehicles (SOV) and one multi-occupant vehicle (MOV) managed the entire 1762.7 miles without breakdown or significant mechanical difficulties.  Considering the cars had to make it over the …