Unmanned aerial vehicles open new possibilities for developing technologies that support more sustainable and efficient agriculture. This paper presents a non-invasive method for repelling rodents from crop fields using ultrasound. The proposed system is implemented as a spherical-cap ultrasound loudspeaker array consisting of eight transducers, mounted on a drone that overflies the field while emitting sound in the 20–70 kHz range. The hardware design includes both the loudspeaker array and a custom printed circuit board hosting power amplifiers and a signal generator tailored to drive multiple ultrasonic transducers. In parallel, a genetic algorithm is used to compute flight paths that maximize coverage and increase the probability of driving rodents away from the protected area. As part of the validation phase, artificial intelligence models for rodent detection using a thermal camera are developed to provide quantitative feedback on system performance. The complete prototype is evaluated through a series of experiments conducted both in controlled laboratory conditions and in the field. Field trials highlight which parts of the concept are already effective and identify open challenges that need to be addressed in future work to move from a research prototype toward a deployable product.

Rodents pose a significant threat to agriculture by damaging crops, spreading disease, and contaminating soil. To counter this, farmers often resort to chemical pesticides, which can harm ecosystems, or to non-chemical deterrents that tend to be less effective and subject to rodent adaptation. As a sustainable alternative, the RODENT project, Rodent Obstruction through Drone-Enabled Non-invasive Technology, introduces a dronemounted ultrasound system designed to emit high-frequency signals that deter rodents without harming the environment. In the initial design phase of the project, the first experiments were conducted in anechoic conditions to evaluate the acoustic performance of low-cost ultrasound speakers driven by a custom signal generator and amplifier. Results showed that both attenuation with distance and speaker directivity were within the expected range for rodent-sensitive frequencies, particularly at 70 kHz. However, the presence of side and rear lobes highlighted the need for improved directionality. Obtained results show that the proposed method effectively generates ultrasound signals within the targeted rodent-sensitive frequency range and validates the idea of using low-cost speakers in drone-mounted deterrence systems.

U poslednjih nekoliko godina, dronovi su postali neizostavan deo različitih aspekata života, uključujući vojne operacije, komercijalnu dostavu, nadzor poljoprivrednih površina, kao i zabavne i rekreativne aktivnosti. Međutim, upotreba dronova donosi i potencijalne negativne efekte, a jedan od ključnih je nivo buke koji proizvode. Buka generisana od strane dronova može otežati slobodno upravljanje njima, posebno u naseljenim područjima. U ovom radu prikazana je metodologija merenja nivoa zvučne snage komercijalnog drona u skladu sa standardom ISO 3744. Za mernu površ izabran je paralelopiped i snimanje vremenskih signala ambijentalne buke i buke drona izvedeno je u 9 tačaka. Izračunate su vrednosti nivoa zvučne snage buke koju proizvodi dron po 1/3 oktavnim opsezima, u dB i dB(A). Ukupni nivo zvučne snage buke koju proizvodi dron iznosi 84.53 dB(A).