Ex-NASA engineer to plant one billion trees using drones

OXFORD, U.K. — Oxford-based start-up BioCarbon Engineering, founded by former NASA engineer Lauren Fletcher, is planning to fight industrial deforestation by planting 1 billion trees a year using drones.

In a video made by the company, BioCarbon Engineering explains that the drones would first fly above a selected area, map its level of deforestation and report back its potential for reforestation. Then automated planting drones carrying seed pods would fly one to two meters above the ground, following a pre-determined planting pattern, and fire germinated seeds into the soil.

A small pressurized canister would provide the necessary propulsive force for the seed pods to easily penetrate the soil surface. The seed pods, filled with nutritious hydrogel to reduce the force of the seed's impact with the soil, would then break open upon impact and allow the germinated seeds to grow.

"Our technology is making it easier for ecosystem restoration groups, mining companies and forestry groups, both private and public, to plant the trees, where they need them, at a fraction of the time and cost," Fletcher said in a statement on the company website.

According to the Independent, one drone is able to plant 10 seeds per minute. With two operators controlling multiple drones, 36,000 trees could be planted in a single day.

The drones are not yet ready for deployment, but the company has already attracted investment from French drone maker Parrot, which is expected to accelerate the development of the technology.

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