Consider the following activities:
1. Spraying pesticides on a crop field
2. Inspecting the craters of active volcanoes
3. Collecting breath samples from spouting whales for DNA analysis
At the present level of technology, which of the above activities can be successfully carried out by using drones?
Explanation
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or drones) are widely deployed across all three specialized operational fields:
– 1. Agricultural pesticide spraying: Precision agriculture utilizes autonomous drones equipped with GPS and multi-nozzle spray booms to spray pesticides and liquid fertilizers evenly over crops, minimizing chemical wastage and human exposure.
– 2. Volcanic crater inspection: Drones fitted with thermal imaging cameras, gas sensors, and visual telemetry inspect active volcanic vents, gathering temperature and gas emission data without endangering human geologists.
– 3. Whale blowhole sampling: Marine biologists routinely pilot waterproof hexacopters through the blowhole spray of surfacing whales to capture blow samples containing respiratory vapor, cells, and microbiota for DNA and hormone analysis.
Hence, all three activities are currently operational — Option D.