The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program at K-State Salina is focusing on the commercial applications of this new technology. From agriculture to search and rescue, Unmanned Aerial Systems have much to offer multiple commercial industries.

With the help of Google Glass we took a tour of the UAS Program

Mark Blanks, UAS Program Manager, explained how with the help of UAS, a farmer would be able to more effectively and efficiently tend to their crops. Blanks showed how a $200 commercial camera can be converted to take photos to show the weak spots in a field of crops. With multi thousand dollar software they can take aerial photos from the UAS and convert it to show a farmer where to apply fertilizer or any other compound within an inch. Blanks stated, “we can give the farmer a product he can program into his tractor and use it to do precision agg, variable rate seeding, fertilizing, and herbicide application”.

This wave of future technology will make farming less harmful to the environment because product that is not necessary will not be used, this will help reduce run off. In addition it will increase the profitability of the farmer because he is not expending more resources than is necessary. Blanks said, “He saves money because he did not put fertilizer on the whole field, just on part of it and then he increases yields greater than before because he can apply fertilizer more precisely or whatever he wants to use, its all about reducing costs by input and increasing output of yields”.