With drone on board
This is the car every farmer should have
4x4 specialist Land Rover built a special version of their Discovery for the Red Cross. It has a drone on board that automatically takes off and lands. Even while driving. The aim is to give the search&rescue team an extra pair of eyes in the sky. The car would not look out of place on many arable or dairy farms. What's the benefit?
'Project Hero' as the special Discovery is called was developed solely for the Red Cross by the Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) branch of Land Rover. Similar to James Bond's Q branch. A commercial version will not be available for the time being, says the brand, which shows the car to the public for the first time at the Geneva motor show. Halfway through this year, the Austrian Red Cross will start working with the car to test it in practice.
The idea is that the drone takes off to the emergency area during the ride and maps the situation. Rescue workers know exactly where to be and where not. The roof slides open, after which the drone can take off and land again. Magnets keep it in place. Special software ensures that the drone follows exactly the course of the car. You can control the drone from the dashboard. LR has not disclosed which brand it is. It weighs 2,7 kilograms and can carry 5,5 kilograms of batteries, sensors and cameras. The flight time is a maximum of 20 minutes.
The Discovery is the 3 liter TD6 model. In addition to a retractable roof and a mega antenna, the floor in your trunk extends so that you can use it as a workbench. There you will also find a large screen to watch the drone images. LR has also built in extra LED lighting, more mounting points for equipment and power supplies for electrical equipment.
20
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The Austrian Red Cross will test him for at least twelve months in the Erzberg mine. There is a training location. The Land Rover certainly does not look out of place on an agricultural company. Just think: As a farmer you cross to the land, where your robot tractor is already spraying. Along the way, the drone takes off to map a plot, or it registers a wet spot for the sprayer to go around. Plenty of possibilities and you have an extra pair of eyes on board that show important places in the plot that you otherwise had no idea about.
Perhaps it is even more convenient not to let the drone take off from your 4x4, but simply from the roof of the tractor. There is still enough space for that when a tractor driver is superfluous. Land Rover is certainly not the only one with the idea. Ford has previously made headlines by working with drone manufacturer DJI to lift drones from a pick-up. Several companies are also developing delivery vans from which drones ultimately deliver the package.
Land Rover started the 'Hero Project' together with the Red Cross. The drone, which automatically takes off and lands while driving, acts as an extra pair of eyes for the S&R team.
Perhaps this is the most ideal car for the farmer. A drone flies over the plots and detects problems that you can't see from the driver's seat.
Also handy: The extendable trunk floor that functions as a workbench. You can also view the image of the drone on a large FPV screen here.
Niels van der Boom
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