DRAGONS

Drones for Remote Autonomous Gathering of Plant Samples

How can autonomous drones transform agricultural research? The DRAGONS project develops end-to-end autonomous systems for remote plant sample collection using unmanned aerial vehicles. Designed for precision viticulture, the system enables automated sampling of grape bunches to support data-driven vineyard management. Part of the EIG CONCERT Japan program, bringing together the Smart Farming Lab at Leipzig University, the JSK Laboratory at the University of Tokyo, and the Systems Research Institute at the Polish Academy of Sciences.

DRAGONS Drone System

About the Project

The DRAGONS project focuses on developing end-to-end autonomous systems for agricultural sample collection using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and dual-arm manipulation.

This research initiative is part of the EIG CONCERT Japan Program, bringing together expertise from multiple institutions to advance the field of agricultural robotics. Our goal is to create reliable, autonomous systems that can operate in challenging agricultural environments to gather plant samples for analysis.

The project combines cutting-edge drone technology with advanced computer vision, robotics, and agricultural science to enable remote autonomous operations that reduce manual labor and improve efficiency in agricultural research and monitoring.

Partners

Smart Farming Lab
IBS PAN
JSK Laboratory

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), managed by the DLR Project Management Agency, for the Smart Farming Lab at Leipzig University; by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) for the JSK Laboratory at the University of Tokyo; and by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR), Poland, for the Systems Research Institute at the Polish Academy of Sciences.

BMFTR
JST
NCBiR

Contact

For more information on the DRAGONS project, contact Nico Heider.