Innovating botanists in Hawaii are again adapting tech loaded on drones to preserve native plants from extinction in areas too remote or dangerous for humans to access – this time on Hawaii Island to battle Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) fungus killing indigenous ʻōhiʻa lehua trees.

The new drone hack is the work of Ryan Perroy, a professor at the University of Hawaii, Hilo’s department of Geography & Environmental Science, and director of its Spatial Data Analysis and Visualization program. A tireless DIY geek, Perroy found a way to super-size an existing UAV-carried device for cutting and collecting plant samples in hard to reach places with a twist Tobe Hooper would love – using a dangling chainsaw with a gripping robotic claw. 

Read: Drones lead Hawaii’s coconut rhinoceros beetle battle 

Unlike the original tool developed by researchers at the Swiss public research university ETH Zürich, Perroy’s larger adaptation can saw off and…

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Source: dronedj.com