Development of a Fixed-Wing Drone System for Aerial Insect Sampling
Most current insect research techniques are ground-based and provide scarce information about flying insects in the planetary boundary layer (PBL), which remains a poorly studied ecological niche. To address this gap, we developed a new insect-sampling method consisting of a fixed-wing drone platfor...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Drones |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/8/189 |
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| author | Margarita Mulero-Pázmány J. Ramiro Martínez-de Dios Ana G. Popa-Lisseanu Russell J. Gray Francisco Alarcón Carlos Albo Sánchez-Bedoya Antidio Viguria Carlos Ibáñez Juan J. Negro Aníbal Ollero Pedro J. Marrón |
| author_facet | Margarita Mulero-Pázmány J. Ramiro Martínez-de Dios Ana G. Popa-Lisseanu Russell J. Gray Francisco Alarcón Carlos Albo Sánchez-Bedoya Antidio Viguria Carlos Ibáñez Juan J. Negro Aníbal Ollero Pedro J. Marrón |
| author_sort | Margarita Mulero-Pázmány |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Most current insect research techniques are ground-based and provide scarce information about flying insects in the planetary boundary layer (PBL), which remains a poorly studied ecological niche. To address this gap, we developed a new insect-sampling method consisting of a fixed-wing drone platform with net traps attached to the fuselage, a mobile design that has optimal aerodynamic characteristics for insect capture in the PBL. We tested the proposed device on 16 flights in Doñana National Park (Spain) with two different trap designs fitted on the fuselage nose and wing. We collected 34 insect specimens belonging to four orders with a representation of twelve families at mean altitudes below 23 m above ground level and sampling altitudes between 9 and 365 m. This drone insect-sampling design constitutes a low-cost and low-impact method for insect monitoring in the PBL, especially in combination with other remote sensing technologies that directly quantify aerial insect abundance but do not provide taxonomic information, opening interesting possibilities for ecology and entomological research, with the possibility of transfer to economically important sectors, such as agriculture and health. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:58:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3a8dfb23fdd544a88a4a63cb5c4bc890 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2504-446X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:58:09Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Drones |
| spelling | doaj.art-3a8dfb23fdd544a88a4a63cb5c4bc8902023-12-01T23:37:32ZengMDPI AGDrones2504-446X2022-07-016818910.3390/drones6080189Development of a Fixed-Wing Drone System for Aerial Insect SamplingMargarita Mulero-Pázmány0J. Ramiro Martínez-de Dios1Ana G. Popa-Lisseanu2Russell J. Gray3Francisco Alarcón4Carlos Albo Sánchez-Bedoya5Antidio Viguria6Carlos Ibáñez7Juan J. Negro8Aníbal Ollero9Pedro J. Marrón10Departamento de Biología Animal, Universidad de Málaga, Bulevar, Louis Pasteur 31, 29010 Málaga, SpainGRVC Robotics Laboratory Sevilla, Universidad de Sevilla, Calle Américo Vespucio, 41092 Sevilla, SpainEstación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CSIC, Calle Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, SpainSave Vietnam’s Wildlife, Cuc Phuong National Park, Nho Quan, Ninh Binh 430000, VietnamFundación Andaluza para el Desarrollo Aeroespacial, CATEC, Calle Wilbur y Orville Wright 19, 41300 La Rinconada, SpainFundación Andaluza para el Desarrollo Aeroespacial, CATEC, Calle Wilbur y Orville Wright 19, 41300 La Rinconada, SpainFundación Andaluza para el Desarrollo Aeroespacial, CATEC, Calle Wilbur y Orville Wright 19, 41300 La Rinconada, SpainEstación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CSIC, Calle Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, SpainEstación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CSIC, Calle Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, SpainGRVC Robotics Laboratory Sevilla, Universidad de Sevilla, Calle Américo Vespucio, 41092 Sevilla, SpainDepartment of Networked Embedded Systems, University of Duisburg-Essen, Forsthausweg 2, 47057 Duisburg, GermanyMost current insect research techniques are ground-based and provide scarce information about flying insects in the planetary boundary layer (PBL), which remains a poorly studied ecological niche. To address this gap, we developed a new insect-sampling method consisting of a fixed-wing drone platform with net traps attached to the fuselage, a mobile design that has optimal aerodynamic characteristics for insect capture in the PBL. We tested the proposed device on 16 flights in Doñana National Park (Spain) with two different trap designs fitted on the fuselage nose and wing. We collected 34 insect specimens belonging to four orders with a representation of twelve families at mean altitudes below 23 m above ground level and sampling altitudes between 9 and 365 m. This drone insect-sampling design constitutes a low-cost and low-impact method for insect monitoring in the PBL, especially in combination with other remote sensing technologies that directly quantify aerial insect abundance but do not provide taxonomic information, opening interesting possibilities for ecology and entomological research, with the possibility of transfer to economically important sectors, such as agriculture and health.https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/8/189insect samplingdroneunmanned aircraft systemsplanetary boundary layer |
| spellingShingle | Margarita Mulero-Pázmány J. Ramiro Martínez-de Dios Ana G. Popa-Lisseanu Russell J. Gray Francisco Alarcón Carlos Albo Sánchez-Bedoya Antidio Viguria Carlos Ibáñez Juan J. Negro Aníbal Ollero Pedro J. Marrón Development of a Fixed-Wing Drone System for Aerial Insect Sampling Drones insect sampling drone unmanned aircraft systems planetary boundary layer |
| title | Development of a Fixed-Wing Drone System for Aerial Insect Sampling |
| title_full | Development of a Fixed-Wing Drone System for Aerial Insect Sampling |
| title_fullStr | Development of a Fixed-Wing Drone System for Aerial Insect Sampling |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development of a Fixed-Wing Drone System for Aerial Insect Sampling |
| title_short | Development of a Fixed-Wing Drone System for Aerial Insect Sampling |
| title_sort | development of a fixed wing drone system for aerial insect sampling |
| topic | insect sampling drone unmanned aircraft systems planetary boundary layer |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/8/189 |
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