Project Locust
Custom agricultural drone and software platform for crop health monitoring.
The Challenge & Research
Agronomists and agricultural operators need timely field data to identify crop stress, monitor field conditions, and make informed decisions throughout the growing season. Existing solutions are often expensive, difficult to customize, or disconnected from the specific workflows used by field professionals.
Project Locust was created to explore how a purpose-built drone platform could simplify crop monitoring while collecting reliable aerial data across large agricultural environments. The challenge was balancing flight performance, durability, and ease of use within a lightweight system designed for repeated field deployment.
The Redesign & Results
The drone was developed through multiple design and testing iterations, combining custom hardware with a software platform designed specifically for agricultural workflows. The airframe was optimized for efficient flight, extended coverage, and reliable operation in outdoor environments.
Alongside the hardware, a companion software experience was developed to help agronomists organize, review, and interpret collected field data. By connecting aerial imagery with actionable insights, the platform aims to make crop health monitoring faster, more accessible, and more useful for agricultural decision-making.
Project Locust demonstrates how custom drone systems can bridge the gap between field data collection and actionable agricultural insights. By combining purpose-built hardware with intuitive software tools, the platform creates a more efficient workflow for crop monitoring and analysis.
OAVAO Technologies
30 min flight time • 80 acre coverage
