DJI Innovations, the world's top civilian drone producer, on Wednesday announced to use advanced technologies in new drones that will significantly enhance agricultural production efficiency.
The Shenzhen-based technology company launched two new drones, the MG-1S Advanced and the MG-1P, both designed for agricultural uses such as spraying pesticide on crops.
Chen Tao, sales manager at DJI, said that the cost of the MG-1S Advanced, which is about 30,000 yuan ($4,560), can be recovered in 21.75 days of use, while for the MG-1P the cost-recovery period is just about 18 days.
According to Chen, these figures reflect the use of more advanced technologies than were deployed in previous models. For example, the MG-1S Advanced, an updated version of the MS-1S that was launched toward the end of 2016, has a second-generation radar that doubles the drone's sensing ability and gives the drone better capabilities to detect different terrains.
An employee at DJI stressed that all the technologies were internally developed.
DJI also announced the launch of an online agricultural service platform, which allows users to program drone operation routes and maintain drones.
According to Chen, DJI will launch more new agricultural products in 2018.
DJI is an example of Chinese technology companies that are backing the domestic agricultural industry with advanced facilities and capabilities.
Up to 3,000 agricultural drones were in use by the end of 2015, with about 400 relevant firms in the industry, media reported in April.