Session: 04-08-01: Dynamics and Control of Aerospace Structures

Paper Number: 70545

Start Time: Monday, 05:40 PM

70545 - Drone Pollination of Flowering Vegetation for Agricultural Applications 

With an ever-changing climate, the decline in bee populations has started to put pressure on humans to pick up some of the pollination duties. A mechanical substitute for a bee needs to be as efficient or better than bee pollination, since it will require one person to do the work of many bees. Pollinating one flower at a time would be too time consuming to be effective, so a drone mounted pollen distribution device is the best direction to go to solve this problem. This is a game changing design to prevent the lack of food growth because the bee population decreases over time. The design is a low-cost alternative that can be adjusted to meet the consumer needs based on the type of pollination. The design is simple and easy to manufacture en masse due to its simplicity. The system was manufactured in multiple pieces which have been individually analyzed using stress analysis software. The design and operation have been optimized using stress, strain, and safety factor analysis to ensure that the product can withstand the stresses applied during operation.

            This pollination device is both light and strong because it is 3D printed with PLA (Polylactic Acid) plastic. The light weight allows the drone to maintain flight and retain the structural support necessary to withstand the forces applied. The square frame of the design is belly mounted on the drone. The pollen is stored in a cone shaped container that is centered on a vertical drive shaft. This container has several small holes all around it to allow the pollen to be dispersed as the system rotates. The center drive shaft is mounted to the frame through two bearings that allow it to rotate with the pollen container. The lower bearing is mounted into the frame while the upper bearing is in a bearing holder. This holder has a square shaft that can be inserted into a square hole at the top of the frame. The square shape reduces the chance that the bearing holder will rotate in its hole over time as a load is applied. A spring is used to apply tension to both the bearing holder and the center drive shaft to keep them in place. Compression of the spring toward the bearing holder quickly releases the center drive shaft to make it easier to remove and refill the pollen holder. A motor is mounted at the inner top of the frame and rotates a gear that sits on its rotor. A belt connects this gear to another gear that is located above the pollen holder and centered on the drive shaft. Therefore, the drive shaft and pollen holder rotate when the motor is turned on. The motor is powered by a 9-volt battery and has a remote-controlled transmitter that allows the drone pilot to activate the motor once it is in the correct location to disperse pollen. The current prototype is small scale for design and testing purposes, but would be scaled up to work with commercial drones in the pollination industry.

            This drone pollinator will have the ability to work for various drone types and plant pollens. That way it can ensure the easiest availability of plant reproduction methods in the most efficient and timely manner. With the use of commercial drones, the possibility to distribute pollen to a large orchard or forested area will allow humans to replace bee pollination on a large scale in the farming and forest conservation industries. Drone pollination is the future of growth in plant-based industries such as the economic and conservation industries.

Presenting Author: Shawn Duan Saint Martin's University

Authors:

Sonia Diaz Guzman Saint Martin's University
Devon Henspeter Saint Martin's University
Megan Taylor Saint Martin's University
Shawn Duan Saint Martin's University