Ethan Moore, 22, grew up in Wellington and is the founder of Lake Erie Drone. He's on a mission to assist the region's agricultural community by making the application of pesticides and other treatments more effective, efficient and safe.
“Sound of Ideas” Coordinating Producer Drew Maziasz sat down with Moore recently to talk about his high-flying drone start-up.
Moore says he first had to use a drone or unmanned aerial vehicle in a high school class. Due to a lack of ready kits for drones, Moore and his classmates decided to build one of their own.
“So we got some funding and we ordered all the parts, and we started building this drone. And over the course of a year, me and a couple of other classmates, we learned how to solder, wire, and build this creation, which we now lovingly refer to as ‘Frankendrone’ because it looks like a handmade creation,” said Moore.
Moore went on to get a nursing degree after high school working in an ICU. But he was still interested in drones and how the technology was evolving. Impressed by how compact and yet sophisticated the new drones were and how impressive their cameras were, Moore investigated further into how they were being used.
He eventually formed and incorporated Lake Erie Drone and underwent the required steps to become licensed to fly the drone and registered to apply pesticides and other treatments to crops as well.
Lake Erie Drone now works with small farmers using drones to help apply pesticides to crops including corn and soybeans. Many of the farms are in residential areas where crop dusting applications are not possible. Moore says the drone allows for application at low-altitude ensuring the pesticide covers the plants safely and without over-spray.
“So my goal with drones is trying to find ways that people aren't endangering themselves to get things done. Infrastructure inspections. Imagine trying to do an inspection of a bridge on a busy roadway. How can we use tools to make that a safer process? How can we be able to inspect things?”
Moore says he believes drone usage will be adopted more as time goes on, including by more farmers.
Guest:
-Ethan Moore, Lake Erie Drone
