Written by Tyler Gibson, Office of the Duke Forest.
As drone technology rapidly evolves, researchers increasingly use these flying tools to gather data where traditional tools and human eyes cannot reach. Lightweight, agile, and equipped with advanced sensors, drones unlock new insights from their unique vantage points. The Duke Forest hosts two authorized flight locations for approved teaching and research activities that are abuzz with activity—literally and figuratively.
The Nicholas School of the Environment’s Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing (MaRRS) Lab researchers frequently fly in the Forest’s Blackwood Division. This location offers a valuable combination of an open research field next to stands of mixed canopy and managed Loblolly Pines, providing ideal conditions for training and testing. MaRRS Lab members must log a minimum number of flight hours to improve their piloting skills and validate their equipment ahead of their global research expeditions. We shadowed Ph.D. student Brandon Hays and Research Technician Libby White during two practice flights to learn more about their work.
Libby and Brandon took flight with Bowser, a DJI Matrice 350 RTK drone with increased flying capacity for various sensor payloads. Like its name suggests (if you’re familiar with Super Mario), Bowser is the powerhouse of the fleet, capable of carrying LiDAR, thermal, and optical sensors for a wide array of data collection needs.
In an upcoming trip to Thailand, Brandon will fly Bowser over the forest canopy to capture high-resolution LiDAR data and compare it with satellite data from the past two decades. These data will be used to measure elephant impacts on forest structure over time. To prepare for the trip, Brandon logged flight hours with Bowser and practiced in-flight maneuvers like figure-eights with Baby Peach, a smaller and more nimble DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise drone equipped with an RGB visible light camera.
“Having the Duke Forest as a location and resource close to our lab on Duke’s main campus for drone flights has aided immensely in our lab’s work,” Libby said. “For me, the Forest has been the perfect space to test our methodologies for projects and try new approaches to data collection.”
One of those new approaches is testing thermal imaging to count and monitor the White-tailed deer population in the Duke Forest. Collecting these data via drone would complement traditional methods already in use, like the Forest’s spotlight surveys each winter after the completion of the annual Deer Herd Reduction Program.
Across the Forest in the Durham Division, the General Robotics Lab from the Pratt School of Engineering also makes frequent test flights. Their research addresses a major limitation of drone technology: autonomously navigating and collaborating with other drones in complex, natural conditions. A multi-drone system that works in these challenging settings would support critical applications like search and rescue, disaster response, and rural logistics.
“The Duke Forest has been an invaluable resource for our project,” said Nils Roede, Research Associate in the General Robotics Lab. “Natural surroundings like the forest enable the development of systems that function effectively in real-world, outdoor settings, bringing us closer to actual deployable solutions.”
By creating autonomous systems, researchers aim to transform drones from passive tools into versatile collaborators. This transition will facilitate research projects and situational monitoring in environments unsuitable for human-monitored or -controlled flights.
As drone technologies advance, the Duke Forest serves as a proving ground for innovation, research applications, and flight training. Lessons learned will soar above and beyond our Forest here in the Triangle to benefit research and drone technology across the globe.
Footnote: Recreational drone use is not permitted in the Duke Forest. Drone use is reserved for approved teaching and research activities only.