82 Insight | UAVs and validated the SW-117’s ability to work continuously in -40 C temperatures. To maximise affordability and hence commercial viability in Superwake’s business model, most of the design work has been performed in-house, and conventional monocrystalline silicon is used in the UAV’s solar panels. Livestock management Although there are growing numbers of UAVs known to perform wildlife surveys across vast landscapes and national parks, livestock are often given comparable space to roam and graze, in which they can become near-impossible for farmers to track and care for effectively. Loss of cattle can cost farmers dearly, and searching by horseback or small off-road vehicle can take hours and put the farmer at risk, particularly given the uneven terrain or inclement weather that can be characteristic of acres of grazing land. UAVs, however, can survey large swathes of open area quickly, regardless of terrain; and as for weather, the ZenaDrone 1000 from ZenaTech is an example of an aircraft built with a weather-resistant outer shell and a highpower distributed-lift architecture that enables it to continue surveying in high gusting and rainy conditions. The large octocopter is designed for a 40 kg payload capacity, in which it can incorporate multiple sensors including EO/IR, NIR and Lidar, as well as video encoders and radios for transmitting real-time video of its sensor data back to farmers. That includes mission software for geo-tagging individual cows, and temperature-sensitive AI analytics of individual herd members’ health and the condition of grazing grounds – all designed to better track the distribution of cattle and their well-being. Through ZenaTech’s mission management software, farmers can also specify ground that they consider unsafe for cattle, enabling UAVs to activate an alert when cows trespass, improving the speed of interventions. The ZenaDrone 1000 has been in development for a few years to August/September 2025 | Uncrewed Systems Technology The SW-117 has been engineered to have solar cells covering 80-90% of the wing top surface area (Image courtesy of Superwake) The ZenaDrone 1000 is designed for a 40 kg payload capacity, in which it can incorporate multiple sensors including EOIR, NIR and Lidar (Image courtesy of ZenaTech)
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