Photo via Astro Awani
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has made a breakthrough in the game of drones.
The Putra Unmanned Aerial Vehicle or Putra UAV, is the first-of-its-kind made from recycled materials or biocomposites from a rather unexpected source - leaves from a pineapple tree!
The idea came following a 2017 community project in Teluk Panglima Garang, Selangor, when residents asked UPM to dispose of the many pineapple tree leaves laying around, as many villagers in the area were growing pineapples at the time.
Most drones are made from plastic, carbon fibers and aluminium, which are classified as synthetic fibers.
And it seems the Putra UAV has a higher power output as compared to a regular drone, as the recycled materials make it lighter, and give it a higher electrical resistance.
It also comes with a battery that can be recharged.
Not to mention pineapple tree leaves are easy to come by, and overall, a drone made from recycled materials is of course cheaper to make.
The Putra UAV can reach a height of about 30 meters, and can remain in flight for around 20 minutes.
UPM says it can be used for aerial surveillance, agriculture purposes and of course for leisure.
The Putra UAV has won numerous awards, including first place at the 8th International, Invention & Design Competition (INDES 2019), the Research Innovation & Enterprise Centre (2019) Innovation Technology Expo (InTEX19), and at the 2nd Digitalised International Invention, Innovation and Design Johor 2019 (DIID Johor 2019).
We think it’s super cool! Would you get one?
by Kyle Roshen Jacob
