As dawn broke on China's southern Hainan Island, Yang Daozhu clambered up a metal stepladder for a better view over the cornfields, remote control in hand. Wearing a blue surgical mask and rubber boots, the 30-year-old was soon steering a 120-pound DJI drone back and forth above the yellow-tipped stalks, flipping a switch to spray them with a mist of pesticide. About 100 feet away, a co-worker did the same from the ground, occasionally climbing onto a blue truck. By noon they'd covered the same stretch of field it would have taken four or five workers a week to spray with traditional crank-operated backpack dispensers.
展开▼
