From zero to Sudan's first flying agricultural robot

With only the internet and determination, two Sudanese men have attempted to create the country's first flying agricultural robot - a big step in the fight against desertification in the African nation.

Sand: The enemy is slow but fierce

If in Western countries or in other regions, climate change or desertification are too far-fetched issues in Shamalia (Sudan), the people who live here feel the best.

'Many people have to leave home. All of them left here at once. The other place was my home. I had to leave this house because of desertification , 'said Habib Allah Murghani - Shamalia resident - pitying to visit the old house that was almost swallowed by sand.

The whole forest was swallowed by sand.

In Shamalia, sand is everywhere, slowly invading what feeds people. There are even areas of trees 5-6 meters tall, only after a few years, have been embraced by sand dunes. According to the winds and storms, sand pours into the classroom, sand covering the blankets of children, . Sand gradually gusts and destroys the lives of the people here.

About 6 hours north of Sudan's capital Khartoum, Shamalia is not the only place to deal with this natural enemy. According to Al Jazzera, climate change along with deforestation for the energy sector has made it impossible for plants to grow. Lacking the green trees, the fertile land gradually became desert areas. If not taking action, in the future Sudan may become an uninhabitable country.

'Drone planting trees' : Natural domestication technology

According to the researchers, growing more trees is the most effective way to combat desertification: the trunk will help prevent wind and sand from entering the residential areas while the roots of the tree have the effect of "keeping" the soil.

Understanding this, Mohammed and Hatem - two close friends and amateur inventors - decided to solve the problem through an approach that no one in Sudan has ever done: using 'drones'. ' (remote control robot flying) to plant Acacia seeds (Acacia). This is the best plant to prevent desertification because their roots are very deep in the ground, blocking sand movement.

Mohammed (left) and Hatem (right) tested unmanned aerial drones in the field.

However, it is not easy to create a robot. With no expert knowledge, Mohammed and Hatem had to search for knowledge online. Not only that, the economy has been plagued by sanctions, which also made it difficult for the two inventors to find materials to build this smart machine worth more than $ 2,000. Therefore, this robot is almost all with 2 brothers.

'When the test failed and the machine broke down, I felt as if it was a child,' Mohammed said of his 'gold piece'.

How the robot will disperse the seeds to the ground.

However, the relentless efforts for 5 years gave sweet fruit. With built-in GPS navigation system on the processor computer, Mohammed and Hatem's agricultural robots are capable of sowing about 1,000 seeds / hour. Not only did Mohammed and Hatem fly, but also built a sensor and camera system capable of producing extremely accurate images, up to half a meter / pixel. This optical system will help monitor and evaluate the health of plants, and collect soil data, towards sand invasion, vegetation index, etc. These two amateur inventors believe, if Using drones instead of traditional cultivation and cultivation methods, the efficiency will increase many times as well as reduce human effort.