Swath Gobbler™

Swath Gobbler™

Swath Gobbler™ is a portable swath sampling and processing system that analyses 100% of the spray swath, and can even be used for nearfield drift potential measurements. Get results in about as much time as it take to gather the data!

Uses

  • UAV/ drone spraying swath measurement & validation

  • In-field analysis of spot spraying systems

  • Aerial spray applications requiring better information than current string systems.


FAST: Scan a sprayed roll in 10-30 minutes onsite. This is about as fast as the data can be collected. Immediately actionable results for custom applicators showing swath uniformity as proof of spray quality to the customer.

PRECISE: Images captured at 1200 DPI and thresholded to 4 pixels. Stains 50 microns or over are captured and recorded with confidence. Research quality data.

The process is simple:

Step 1: Gather data on 3” bond paper printer rolls (common receipt rolls) Plans for collector boards (above and right) can be downloaded and easily fabricated locally.

Step 2: Scan the papers with the Swath Gobbler™ in about the time it takes to gather the next data set.

Step 3: Data is immediately available as a histogram (Pro Version) or as a whole-field heat map (Scientific version). Raw images and CSV files also available for post-process analysis.

Comes as two productivity options:

Swath Gobbler Pro:

Single scanner capable, software processes images in real time, outputs to histogram of percent coverage and Hits/unit area (See sample below). Runs on Windows.

Best for: Drone contractors and educators.

Price: $3499. Other accessories available below.


Swath Gobbler Scientific:

For more intense data users. Software allows parallel scanning with multiple scanner cameras for very fast data acquisition. Data can be arranged to output not only individual swath histograms, but histograms can be combined spatially to provide 2-dimensional heat mapping of field. Runs on Windows. (See output example below)

Best for: Test labs, Registrants, university researchers, drone manufacturers.

Price: Base, including First Scanner and Software: $4999

Additional Scanners: $2500 each.

Accessories

Pelican style waterproof and field-rugged carry case, up to 2 scanners per case: $299

Service Plan, Swath boards, paper rolls, and dye are all available. Please contact for full information and a quote.

Example output from Swath Gobbler Pro, parallel passes down and back:

Output from Swath Gobbler Pro, single pass:

Why is it so important to measure swath?

So many variables

Drones fly higher than ground sprayers, slower than manned aircraft, and have pitch and roll that potentially changes the direction of spray outside of the intended swath. Typically UAS/drone sprays are applied at very low application rates with small, finer droplet nozzles. They also have downwash, a type of air assistance which when used properly, moves the spray closer to the ground and can increase coverage within the canopy. Used improperly, it can degrade uniformity and may even increase drift risk. How would you know?

It's impossible to predict cumulative impact on spray quality.

Each set of application setup and operation variables, in combination with canopy to be sprayed and current meteorology (more variables), is a use case. To know spray quality with a given use case, swath measurement, or swathing, is necessary to know the width and quality of the spray distribution. Ideally this is done every time that the spray condition, (the use case) changes.

Swath Gobbler is a Trademark of Application Insight, LLC. Copyright 2022.