Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. has announced that it will begin limited sales of the YMR-08 industrial multi-rotor drone from June 2018 in Japan. Featuring coaxial rotors to provide excellent agrochemical spraying performance and a lightweight carbon body enabling continuous spraying of one hectare per flight1, the YMR-08 delivers spraying quality comparable to Yamaha Motor’s industrial-use unmanned helicopters. It is anticipated that this new drone product will be used for agricultural chemical spraying of cultivated fields such as rice paddies once sales begin through the Yamaha Motor distributor network. Full commercial sales of the YMR-08 in Japan are planned for this fall.
Yamaha Motor has over 30 years of experience in the agrochemical spraying business using unmanned helicopters, with the total area sprayed each year in this business exceeding one million hectares, covering more than 40% of Japan’s rice paddy cultivation area. On the other hand, recently there has been a growing trend toward the use of drones to avoid manual work where small plots can be difficult to spray with unmanned helicopters.
The new YMR-08 was developed based on the concept of completing continuous spraying of one hectare per flight in 15 minutes. As well as spraying quality, the dedicated battery and motors have been developed to ensure controllability, operability, and safety, delivering performance which satisfies professional agricultural users.
By adopting the “vertical coaxial” layout for two rotor axes (one each on the left and right), the YMR-08 creates a strong down wash even from a compact and lightweight body. Making the rotorsʼ direction of rotation symmetric fore and aft has strengthened the down wash in the same location (near the nozzles) regardless of whether the aircraft is traveling forward or backward.
Comparison of a typical six-rotor layout in which opposite rotors counter-rotate (on left) and the YMR-08 (on right).
Main Features:
1)　”Vertical coaxial” rotors and optimized spraying nozzle layout deliver spraying quality comparable to Yamaha Motor’s industrial-use unmanned helicopters
2)　Battery and newly-developed lightweight, high-output motors for safety and operability
3)　Carbon hybrid rotors with impact-absorbing resin on the leading edge to reduce impact and prevent debris scattering in the event of damage
4)　Lightweight, rigid, and well-balanced monocoque shell structure carbon body
5)　The two-eye face brings a sense of liveliness, and the double air intake design emphasizes electrical system cooling performance
6)　Resin skids soften the impact on landing
7)　The included “Turn Assistance” function simplifies operation and increases spraying accuracy.
