Autonomous drone tests future of precision farming in Finland

A fully autonomous drone capable of independent data collection and recharging is being tested at a research farm in Tammela, southern Finland, as part of a new agricultural technology project, Finnish broadcaster Yle reports.

The drone, developed by Finnish tech company Rumble Tools, operates at altitudes up to 100 meters, gathering multispectral imagery and precise location data from fields growing spring oats, winter rye, and forage grasses. After each flight, it returns to a weatherproof charging station—its “box”—where it automatically recharges before the next mission. Collected data is uploaded to a cloud service for analysis by researchers.

The week-long test in late May was observed by a team from the Made project (Maatalouden digitaalisten ekosysteemien innovatiiviset palveluratkaisut), a multi-year initiative launched in 2026 to develop digital farming solutions. Participants included specialists from the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), the National Land Survey of Finland, and Häme and Jyväskylä Universities of Applied Sciences.

Jere Kaivosoja, a senior researcher at Luke, said the drone’s data helps assess crop emergence, uniformity, and problem areas where seeds may have failed to germinate. “Smart technology can reduce the risk of yield losses by providing real-time growth monitoring,” he noted. While basic analysis is automated via cloud computing, researchers are examining the Tammela datasets in detail before the summer break.

Roope Näsi, a senior researcher at the National Land Survey’s geospatial center, explained that the drone follows a pre-programmed flight plan, equipped with a multispectral camera and high-precision positioning. Wind speeds above 15 m/s grounded the tests as a precaution, but flights otherwise proceeded smoothly.

Timo Teinilä, a lecturer in agricultural technology at Häme University of Applied Sciences, envisions long-term applications where drones compile multi-year datasets to support farming decisions—such as adjusting seeding depth based on forecasted drought conditions. “Machines already communicate with each other, and cloud services provide global grain prices and weather data,” he said. “Drones could add another layer of historical insight.”

The project suggests that within a decade, fleets of autonomous drones could become a standard tool for Finnish farmers, though widespread adoption remains distant. For now, researchers are analyzing what the “box-dwelling” drone revealed about the test fields in Tammela.