In 2020, Kendra Sharp helped organize an international development design summit in Thailand. That’s where she met Bryan Hugill, who owns an organic rice farm in the northeastern part of the country.

“He wants to transform agricultural practices in his region,” said Sharp, a professor of mechanical engineering at Oregon State University’s College of Engineering. She also leads the National Science Foundation’s Office of International Science and Engineering. “Our discussions led to the formation of some agriculturally oriented senior capstone projects, including an agricultural drone called the AgDrone.”

The primary purpose of the AgDrone is to spray liquid organic fertilizer on crops. Since the project began, a series of different capstone classes has worked on AgDrone, each one improving upon the previous design. Future versions may include additional capabilities, like spreading seeds.

Hugill agreed to serve as a partner and to advise students on the machine’s development and performance, according to Sharp. Funding has come primarily from Richard and Gretchen Evans, Oregon State alumni and longtime benefactors of the humanitarian engineering program.

“The project marks a significant stride toward revolutionizing agricultural practices in developing nations,” said John Greeven, a capstone instructor who teaches the AgDrone course.

In Thailand and other developing nations, the number of farm workers has dwindled as more young people move to cities, Greeven explained. That’s left an aging and contracting population to handle the physically demanding farm work. The AgDrone represents the potential to automate some of those functions.

In September 2023, Greeven and three of the five students in the second capstone class traveled to Hugill’s farm to field test their prototype.

“We wanted to see how it performed and to identify what could be improved,” Greeven said. “Overall, it flew quite well, and I think we showcased its potential to transform agriculture in these regions.”

Soon afterwards, the project was handed over to the third capstone class, whose composition differed considerably from its predecessors. The previous two classes included a small group of mechanical engineering majors. But the latest class of 11 students included mechanical engineering majors, computer science majors, and electrical engineering majors. That class wrapped up its work in March 2024.

“Because of that multidisciplinary mix, the team made significant enhancements,” Greeven said. “Now we have a drone that flies longer, carries a larger tank of liquid, produces greater thrust, and has a number of other new features.”

Next, the fourth AgDrone capstone class will pick up the mantle.

“We’ll continue to develop the system,” Greeven said. “The question is: When will it be ready as a commercial product? I don’t think it’s quite there, but it’s close.”