Development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Multispectral Cameras for Precision Agriculture Management

Precision agriculture is a key approach to advancing Thailand’s agricultural sector, particularly using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with multispectral cameras for data collection and plant health analysis. However, current technologies rely heavily on imports, leading to high costs and complex maintenance—barriers for many Thai farmers. This research aims to develop domestically produced UAVs and multispectral cameras using open-source technology and locally available materials. The developed UAV features a 1-hour operation time, a payload capacity of 10 kilograms, and can operate in both manual and autonomous modes. The multispectral camera system includes both visible and NoIR cameras with six filters, enabling the analysis of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to assess plant health. The entire system is carefully designed for affordability and ease of maintenance, offering significant cost advantages compared to imported options.Test results showed satisfactory UAV performance in manual mode, with 100% efficiency in Stabilizer mode and 96% in Loiter mode. Autonomous waypoint navigation achieved 80–100% effectiveness. The multispectral camera demonstrated 70% imaging efficiency and 60% accuracy in NDVI analysis. Some limitations, such as camera vibration and image alignment issues, were identified. A comparative analysis with commercial UAVs revealed that the developed system offers similar functionality at approximately 85% lower cost and with simpler maintenance procedures.This domestically developed technology reduces reliance on imports and contributes to the long-term advancement of agricultural technology in Thailand, making precision farming more accessible to local farmers.