Dropping Seed Balls from the Air Using Drones
Enhancing Planting Efficiency in Hard-to-Reach Areas
Hyundai Motor Company announced on July 17 that it will introduce a special-purpose vehicle for forest monitoring, based on the Ioniq 9, into the ecological restoration project in the Uljin-gun area.
The "Ioniq 9 Seedball Drone Station," developed by Hyundai Motor Company in collaboration with forest restoration technology startup GuruEnt, is a special-purpose vehicle based on Hyundai's electric SUV, the Ioniq 9, designed for the restoration, planting, and monitoring of damaged forests.
The vehicle is equipped with a large "seed ball" drone and a dedicated takeoff and landing lift installed in the trunk space. This allows for efficient planting operations by dropping seed balls?spheres made by mixing loess and seeds?from the air, even in areas that are difficult for humans to access.
Taking advantage of the spacious rear area of the Ioniq 9, a high-precision integrated control system has also been built, featuring a PC dedicated to drone operations and dual monitors. The power required for operating this control system, charging the drone, communications, and video transmission is supplied using the vehicle's V2L (Vehicle to Load, bi-directional charging) function.
Hyundai Motor Company's Ioniq 9 Seedball Drone Station (left in the photo) and Ioniq 5 Monitoring Drone Station. Provided by Hyundai Motor Company
Previously, in June last year, Hyundai Motor Company agreed to a five-year collaboration with the Korea Arboretum and Garden Institute under the Korea Forest Service and the tree-planting social venture Tree Planet to restore the national forest ecosystem in areas of the east coast damaged by wildfires. For this purpose, Hyundai has been conducting forest monitoring and data collection activities using a monitoring drone station based on the Ioniq 5.
The Ioniq 9 Seedball Drone Station, like the existing Ioniq 5 Monitoring Drone Station, operates with minimal noise and vibration and produces no emissions. Its off-road-optimized driving performance enables stable and eco-friendly restoration activities even in forested areas.
A Hyundai Motor Company representative stated, "This ecological restoration project, which utilizes the Ioniq 5 and 9 Drone Stations, is not simply a tree-planting sponsorship but a collaboration in eco-friendly mobility technology. Hyundai will continue to pursue various partnerships based on eco-friendly mobility and take the lead in providing solutions for biodiversity conservation and forest restoration."
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