Moyo, a South African digital consultancy firm, has partnered with Dell Technologies to introduce an AI-powered autonomous drone designed to enhance crop health monitoring in the agricultural sector. The drone will specifically target the detection of potato leaf diseases, helping farmers improve their yield and reduce crop loss.
At the core of this innovation is the Dell AI Factory solution, integrated with NVIDIA technology. This advanced system combines NVIDIA’s AI infrastructure and software with Dell’s industry-leading computing, storage, and networking solutions.
The cutting-edge drone leverages AI for high-resolution image analysis and pattern recognition to identify early signs of disease, including fungal infections, thereby significantly improving the accuracy of disease detection.
“AI has the potential to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, including enhancing agricultural surveillance to enable timely interventions and better crop yields,” said Philip Heydenrych, Director of Moyo. The collaboration between Moyo and Dell demonstrates how AI technologies can be applied to solve real-world problems, especially in agriculture.
Moyo used Dell Precision AI-ready workstations powered by NVIDIA’s accelerated computing platform, which enabled quick GenAI testing and the deployment of generative AI applications.
This setup allowed Moyo to train the drone’s AI model efficiently, achieving a 99.52% accuracy rate in just two weeks.
The workstations are equipped with high-performance Intel Xeon processors, NVIDIA RTX professional graphics, and Dell Precision Optimizer software, which optimizes performance for the drone’s crop monitoring applications.
Chris Buchanan, Client Solutions Director at Dell Technologies South Africa, highlighted the significance of the partnership, stating, “By leveraging the power of AI and advanced technologies, we are helping our customers innovate and create solutions that drive positive impacts for business, people, and the planet. Moyo’s AI drone is an example of how AI can quickly turn experiments into practical, real-world solutions.”
The collaboration between Moyo and Dell Technologies marks a significant step forward in using AI to transform agriculture in South Africa. With this technology, farmers can expect improved crop health monitoring, reduced losses, and more efficient farming practices.