(Yicai) Nov. 19 -- DJI Agriculture's latest drones have achieved Level-3 autonomous driving capabilities in specific scenarios or ranges, according to an engineer at the agricultural drone subsidiary of China's DJI Technology.

DJI Agriculture yesterday unveiled three new agricultural drone models. The T100S has a maximum takeoff weight of 149.9 kilograms, the T70S is designated for medium-sized farms, and the T55 is made for lightweight, single-user operation.

Agricultural drones are used in agricultural production for tasks such as spraying pesticides, spreading fertilizers, and transporting small items. The flight time of agricultural drones accounts for 98 percent of the total drone flight time, with DJI and its Chinese peer XAG occupying nearly 80 percent of the global market share.

Compared to consumer drones, which usually fly at an altitude of 50 to 100 meters, agricultural drones operate at only three to five meters high, where they encounter many obstacles, such as trees and power lines, DJI Agriculture's drone engineer Chen Qiming told Yicai.

As a result, agricultural drones need to be equipped with appropriate sensor devices, Chen noted. In recent years, artificial intelligence technology has also been increasingly employed to assist in this regard.

"One of the major challenges drone developers face is how to use appropriate sensors -- fewer in number and lower in cost -- to help the drone effectively 'see' obstacles," Chen explained.

For example, the T100S is equipped with multiple sensing devices, including visual sensors, light detection and ranging, and millimeter-wave radar, Chen noted.

DJI Agriculture's drone shipments have surged to 200,000 units this year from about 2,000 units 10 years ago, Niki Shen, the company's head of global marketing, told Yicai. DJI Agriculture's products have achieved a market penetration rate of about 60 percent in Chinese rice plantation scenarios and about 40 percent in orchard plantation scenarios.

The lower penetration rate in orchard plantation is mainly due to the higher number of flight obstacles. To enhance market penetration or improve efficiency, further technological breakthroughs are required to address the practical challenges that drones face in such environments, Shen pointed out.

DJI Agriculture's largest sales market is China, Shen noted, adding that its key overseas markets include Latin American countries, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and other nations in East and Southeast Asia.

The expansion into other foreign markets is limited by local regulatory policies, she said. For example, some areas in Europe prohibit the use of aerial vehicles for spraying chemical agents, while in other regions, obtaining pilot certifications can be quite challenging.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Futura Costaglione