DGAP-News: Mynaric announces development of laser communication terminal for precision agriculture applications

Mynaric announces development of laser communication terminal for precision agriculture applications
 

• Laser terminal will permit greater volumes of data to be interpreted for farming and environmental purposes
• Terminal is ultra-lightweight and designed for use in agricultural unmanned aerial vehicles
• New terminal will eventually be serially-produced for other uses on micro UAVs

Munich, June 7 2018 - Mynaric can today announce that it is developing a lightweight laser communication terminal to be used within an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for precision agriculture uses. The terminal, which is a variant of Mynaric's existing air-to-ground terminal, is destined to be used by an undisclosed commercial partner who needs an ultra-low weight terminal - of under 2 kg - so that it can be fitted to UAVs of limited size and weight without affecting the UAV's operational capabilities. Mynaric's new laser terminal will be available in early-2020.

To assist with precision agriculture applications, such as surveying acres of crops in minimal time and collecting information from the ground on potential insect problems or watering issues, the terminal is being designed to downstream information at a data rate of 1 Gbps at distances up to 10 km.

"The incorporation of a redesigned micro laser terminal into a lightweight UAV allows for far greater tranches of data to be downloaded and assessed, over much vaster tracts of land. UAVs flying at 8,000 ft can survey 40,000 square acres of crops in an hour. That is an incredible amount of data to process and laser communication's ability to transmit huge amounts of data in just fractions of seconds will allow farmers to tailor their use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers and fully utilize highly complex data gleaned from hyperspectral imaging."
Dr. Markus Knapek, founder and board member of Mynaric

Development work on the micro laser terminal will lead to a new addition to Mynaric's product range capable of commercial uses other than just for agricultural purposes. The terminal's low size, weight and power consumption could see it used for additional small drone applications such as emergency response and environmental crime.

The precision agriculture industry is predicted to grow to a market of over $43 bn by 2025 as farmers increasingly use developments and advancements in technology more capable of allowing them to cost-effectively monitor acres of farmland and assess potential threats and problems.

About Mynaric
Mynaric is a manufacturer of laser communication technologies used to establish dynamic communication networks in air and space. Its wireless laser data transmission products include ground stations and flight terminals, which allow very large quantities of data to be sent wirelessly over long distances between aircrafts, autonomous drones, high altitude platforms, satellites and the ground at high data rates.

Globally, the need for fast and ubiquitous network connectivity is advancing inexorably. Data networks are today largely based on infrastructure on the ground, which cannot be expanded arbitrarily for legal, economic or logistical reasons. The future therefore calls for an expansion of the existing network infrastructure into air and space. With its wireless laser communication products Mynaric is positioned as a prime pioneer in this growth market.

For more information see: www.mynaric.com

Important information
Some of the information in this announcement may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of the Company. You can identify forward looking statements by terms such as "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "will," "could," "may" or "might," or, in each case, the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. We wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. We do not intend to update these statements to reflect events and circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Many factors could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements, including, among others, general economic conditions, our competitive environment, risks associated with our industry, as well as many other risks specifically related to the Company and its operations.