Agricultural spray drones are becoming a mainstay on American farms. Unlike ground rigs, they let farmers work fields even when conditions are too wet for ground equipment. And each new generation advances in capability by leaps and bounds.
The advancements are mainly due to their technological “brains” — the semiconductor microchips. Within these chips, tens of billions of microscopic binary circuits are densely layered in silicon.
Using light to etch pathways, engineers fill circuit channels with conductive metals like copper. Signals travel back and forth across these pathways like a light switch — on and off. Semiconductors can process complex field data in a fraction of a second, store machinery memory and run sophisticated software that powers the technology within tractors and drones.
Not every microchip is equal. Those for drones must process gyroscopic stabilization, sensor awareness and autonomous decision-making in real time.
“The semiconductor requirements for robotics or drones on a farm are very different from your cellphone or PC,” said Mike Horton, CEO of HyFix, a California startup that’s developing chips specifically for drones and robots.
In a single microchip, HyFix’s technology includes:
- 64-bit computers
- a neural processor that can handle AI functions
- an analogue-to-digital converter
- for radio frequency
- camera data translation
- GPS signal tracking
- vision processing
- motor control systems
This integration replaces disparate tech systems and unlocks all kinds of cutting-edge ag drone capability that isn’t yet commercially available.
“We think the future is going to be spot spraying,” Horton said. “As you fly, [the chip] identifies what needs to be sprayed and where.”
This drone capability already exists in labs. Recent federal policies banning foreign-made ag drones has incentivized its rapid development, which has already been decades in the making.
In the wake of the executive order “Unleashing American Drone Dominance,” startups like HyFix are racing to fill the commercial void. But it won’t be an even transition.
“The new administration is saying, ‘Let’s go. Let’s make beyond-the-line-of-sight flying easy to do. Let’s get the American industry building these things.’ It’s a different, different mindset now,” Horton said.
Closing in on China
For now, Chinese drones are cheaper and better. Farmers operating within slim margins might not be able to justify spending more for something that isn’t as capable.
Horton said semiconductor advancements are key to reducing this disparity by driving costs down while increasing on-farm capability.
Other factors at play are battery development, labor shortages, rising input costs, suppressed commodity prices and immigration policy.
Meanwhile, expansion of RTK infrastructure is bringing connectivity to rural farmland, while the artificial intelligence required for efficient drone operation is quickly spilling into agriculture from other industries.
As tariffs and other pressures increase on Chinese imports, Horton expects U.S. manufacturers to ramp up production and close the tech gap with competitors in a few years.
“Every farmer will have a drone. I don’t think that’s a stretch,” he said. “You have a big piece of property, there are a lot of things to manage” — from crop health to livestock management and infrastructure inspection. “It’s been one of these things that people have been working on for 20-plus years — the processing, the sensing, the AI wasn’t there. But now it’s all right in front of us. The technology is ready.”