XAG Unveils New Generation of Agricultural Drones and Ground Robots for Unmanned Farms

China's XAG unveiled a new generation of agricultural drones and ground robots at the XAG Autonomous Farming Conference (XAAC 2020), including the P40 and P80 models built around the SuperX4 control system. By the end of 2020, the company's products had been sold in more than 60 countries and regions worldwide.

Interchangeable modules replace three separate tools

The core idea behind the new models is operational flexibility. Instead of farmers needing three different tools for three different tasks, XAG has built a system in which the same drone body, centered on the SuperX4 control system, can switch between three payload modules depending on what's needed in the field.

• RealTerra: a module for autonomous field mapping
• RevoSpray: a module for high-precision liquid spraying
• RevoCast: a module for spreading seeds or granular fertilizer

V40: twenty kilograms of payload and 16 hectares an hour

Among the models on display, the V40 drone stood out. Designed for unmanned spraying operations at a work rate that's relatively high for the market, the company presents it as a solution for large plots where time is a critical resource during spraying season.

• Maximum payload weight: 20 kilograms
• Spray width: 10 meters
• Work rate: 16 hectares per hour

From the sky to the ground: the R-Series family

Alongside its drones, XAG has also expanded its product line into ground-based equipment. The R-Series family includes autonomous robots for spreading materials and mowing, letting the company offer customers a combined solution that also covers tasks a drone can't always handle efficiently, such as ground-level work in areas with dense vegetation.

A smart prescription map against overspraying

XAG also announced plans to expand an AI-based service for generating crop-spraying prescription maps in China. The idea is for the system to analyze field data and produce spraying recommendations tailored to each plot, instead of a blanket approach that applies uniform spraying across an entire area. The company's stated goal is to reduce excessive use of pesticides, an issue that has concerned Chinese agricultural regulators for quite some time.

The open question is how readily a traditional agricultural market, with many small and fragmented farms, will actually adopt a system built on data analysis and predictive models rather than just physical equipment. XAG has already proven it can sell at significant international scale, but moving from selling a single drone to adopting a full operational service requires a shift in habits among farmers accustomed to manual work.

Products in 60 countries and regions

From a business standpoint, XAG is no longer a small local startup. By the end of 2020, the company's products had been sold in more than 60 countries and regions, a figure that positions it as one of the major players in the global agricultural drone market, alongside other companies that focus mainly on the Chinese and Asian markets.