ZenaTech unveils first IQ Octo prototype for autonomous spraying

ZenaTech said its ZenaDrone subsidiary completed an initial prototype of the IQ Octo, an autonomous drone for precision spraying and seeding, with field testing slated to begin in Arizona in the coming weeks. The move expands the IQ Series into precision agriculture and could later support solar maintenance applications.

Why it matters: - ZenaTech is targeting precision agriculture, a drone market the company says is growing quickly and could create recurring service revenue through Drone as a Service. - The IQ Octo is designed to help farmers lower input costs, reduce crop damage and soil compaction, and reach terrain that is hard to treat with conventional equipment. - The platform also positions ZenaTech to expand beyond agriculture into solar maintenance later.

What happened: - ZenaTech said ZenaDrone completed an initial Version 1 prototype of the IQ Octo, a new autonomous drone for precision spraying and seeding. - The prototype is expected to begin field testing at ZenaTech’s Arizona facility in the coming weeks. - ZenaTech is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and trades on Nasdaq under ZENA.

The details: - The IQ Octo is a medium-sized octocopter with eight motors. - The drone is battery powered and designed to fly for about 20 to 25 minutes per charge. - The platform can carry up to 25 kilograms of seeds or liquid. - For spraying missions, the drone will use a liquid tank with spray nozzles. - For seeding missions, the drone will use a hopper with a spreader. - The drone is designed to follow a programmed flight path, fly low over fields and apply liquid treatments or seeds at controlled rates with even coverage. - ZenaTech said Version 2 is expected to add solar panel maintenance applications, swarm capability, automated refilling and a folding design. - The company said the agricultural use case is intended to improve efficiency in planting and treatment operations. - ZenaTech also said drones can be useful in wet fields, difficult terrain and areas with standing crops. - The company said drone-based spraying and seeding can reduce chemical, seed, water, fuel and labor requirements. - The company said the approach can also improve worker safety.

Between the lines: - The IQ Octo extends ZenaDrone’s IQ Series into a higher-value farm services category that can generate recurring revenue instead of only hardware sales. - ZenaTech is pitching the platform as part of a broader autonomy strategy that spans drones, enterprise software and other advanced technologies. - Shaun Passley, ZenaTech’s CEO, said precision agriculture is one of the fastest-growing segments in the drone industry, with analysts forecasting more than 30% annual growth over the next five years. - Passley said the IQ Octo and the service and data opportunities it could create may become a long-term value driver for customers and shareholders. - The company’s broader portfolio includes agriculture, logistics, ISR, cargo and counter-UAS applications.

What's next: - ZenaTech said it will provide more updates as the IQ Octo reaches additional development and testing milestones. - The company plans to continue development of Version 2 features for agriculture and solar maintenance use cases. - Field testing in Arizona will be the first visible step in proving the drone’s commercial performance.

The bottom line: - ZenaTech is moving its autonomous drone strategy deeper into precision agriculture, where one prototype could become a recurring-services business if testing goes well.