Granular Drone

An autonomous robotic device capable of navigating and monitoring granular bulks, helping grain merchants and farmers avoid substantial losses during long-term storage.

The granular drone is composed of a rotating body with retractile segments, which allow the drone to swim fluidly through different bulk solids and powders such as protein crops, beans, pellets, and cereal grains. The gadget is equipped with sensors that are able to detect and measure temperature and humidity, helping with prevention and early warning signs of molds and pests, significantly impacting food safety.

Current models are tethered to a computer system through a long cable, which powers the device and transmits the collected data in real-time to a software where 3D visualization of current conditions can be accessed.

Potentially, this technology could also be used for extraplanetary soil analysis, subterranean probing, recovery of buried objects, and seabed analysis.