Drone Fest showcases latest developments in agricultural drone technology

Farm491 held its inaugural Drone Fest on 9 July 2025, showcasing developments in agricultural drone technology to members, the wider RAU community as well as members of the Gloucestershire County Council Growth and Enterprise team.

RAU academics Dr Emmanuel Zuza and Dr Patricia Mathabe outlined some of the research work the RAU has been undertaking in drone usage and AI integration, which was followed by Murat Merdin and Oğuz Merdin — CEO and CTO of DRONEQUBE – who demonstrated their fascinating developments in using drone platforms for AI enabled identification of pests and diseases in crops, before flying their DJI drone over one of the RAU’s experimental fields. 

Very well attended, the event prompted many lively discussions and follow-up questions from attendees.   

Seated attendees listen to speaker in the background

Dr Patricia Mathabe discusses how agricultural drone technology is employed in teaching and research at the Royal Agricultural University

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