Photo: Billy Freeman | Unsplash
AirSeed Technologies is an Australian-based startup company that is combating deforestation in a novel way: aerial drones specially designed to fire seeds. "Each of our drones can plant over 40,000 seed pods per day and they fly autonomously," says Andrew Walker, CEO of AirSeed Technologies. The seed pods are coated with biomass, offering a carbon-rich nutrient source when the seed germinates as well as protecting it from ingestion by natural wildlife. The drones themselves are programmed to follow fixed seeding patterns which enable tree growth to be monitored. Compared to traditional methods, the technology is 25 times faster and 80 percent cheaper. Already, 50,000 trees have been planted in Australia with aims to plant 100 million by 2024. With severe deforestation rates around the world, startups are using everything they've got to reverse the trend.
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