Unlike conventional precision agriculture methods, vision-guided smart sprayers help deploy chemicals only where needed. This cuts down unnecessary usage and boosts field productivity, which results in enhancing both crop outcomes and operational economics.
Such systems also empower better environmental practices by avoiding runoff and reducing soil saturation from blanket spraying. In high-value crop farming, where margins are tight, and quality control is strict, it can make the difference between profit and loss.
In this blog, you’ll better understand the challenges of traditional sprayers, how embedded cameras empower smart sprayers, and the key imaging features that make it all happen.
Challenges of Traditional Sprayers in Precision Agriculture
In spraying systems of the past, a predetermined quantity of pesticide or fertilizer is dispersed over a wide area. There’s no consideration for the condition of individual plants or the variability in field topography.
While simple, such an approach comes with vast limitations. Overspraying some zones while underserving others can lead to chemical waste, environmental strain, and lower crop yield.
Precision agriculture, by contrast, focuses on interventions that are based on the real-time needs of the crop. That’s where vision-guided smart sprayers come in. They use camera solutions to analyze field conditions on the go and dynamically adjust the amount and location of chemical deployment.
How Cameras Enable Vision-Guided Smart Sprayers
Vision-guided sprayers rely on onboard imaging systems to read the field. As the equipment moves, high-resolution cameras scan crops for attributes such as chlorophyll intensity, plant height, spacing, and density. The visual cues are interpreted by processing units to determine what action the machine should take.
The image data is processed in real time. For instance, a dry or underdeveloped section may trigger the system to increase fertilizer application, while healthy or overcrowded regions may be skipped or treated differently.
These decisions are based on patterns the system has learned to recognize. Greener or taller plants signal healthy growth, while pale or uneven sections suggest stress. The cameras capture these differences and guide the system to treat each area based on what it sees. Hence, the spray volume can be adjusted or turned off entirely when no treatment is needed.
Features That Make Cameras Integral to Smart Sprayers
High-resolution imaging
The smallest leaf discoloration or spacing between plants can alter decision-making during field operations. Cameras with high pixel density capture fine-grain details that support better judgment on-the-fly. For chemical thinners, high resolution assists in identifying plant clusters that require spacing interventions.
Ultimately, it ensures minimal resource waste and better crop quality.
Global or rolling shutter
When imaging systems are mounted on fast-moving platforms or when they monitor rapid mechanical actions like nozzle bursts or blade passes, motion clarity becomes critical. Global shutters capture the entire image frame simultaneously, which prevents distortion when objects are in motion. Rolling shutters, while potentially susceptible to motion artifacts, may serve cost-conscious designs where machinery movement is relatively slow.
The choice between these shutter types is a function of mechanical speed, resolution requirements, and budget allocations.
Multi-camera set up with triggering and strobe synchronization
Smart sprayers use multiple cameras positioned along different axes to capture a complete view of the treatment area. These cameras must be synchronized with each other and with the mechanical components, such as spray nozzles or thinning blades, to ensure that every image corresponds precisely to the target zone.
The trigger mechanism plays a major role in this process, activating image capture at the exact moment a leaf reaches the spray point or meets a predefined condition, like a threshold size or shape.
Strobe lights are also synchronized with these triggers to maintain image consistency across all angles and under variable outdoor lighting. Artificial lighting compensates for shadows, glare, dust, or cloud cover by delivering a consistent flash timed with each frame. The result is a clean, evenly lit image set (regardless of ambient conditions), thereby enabling accurate detection, measurement, and treatment decisions in real time.
ISP tuning for color, noise, and lens correction
Image Signal Processor (ISP) tuning helps optimize vision performance in agriculture. For example, leaf color shifts based on growth stage, species, and stress level. ISP tuning adjusts white balance, color correction matrices, and saturation controls to ensure that captured colors reflect true crop conditions, reducing classification errors in AI models.
Another function is noise reduction, especially under low-light or fast-motion scenarios. Temporal and spatial denoising filters clean up raw image data while preserving leaf edges and texture. It improves downstream segmentation and spray targeting accuracy.
Finally, the ISP also handles lens correction. It compensates for vignetting, geometric distortion, and chromatic aberration introduced by wide-angle or compact optics. These corrections restore brightness uniformity and spatial accuracy across the frame.
Rugged and reliable enclosures
Cameras used in smart sprayers must meet industrial-grade standards for durability and stability. After all, the agricultural setting presents numerous challenges for embedded electronics. Dust, moisture, strong vibrations, and temperature fluctuations are common. For example, sometimes, the camera is near to sprayer and needs to be chemical-resistant.
So, to perform consistently, vision systems must be housed in sealed, impact-resistant enclosures. IP-rated casing, shock-mounted internals, and thermal management are all part of building equipment that lasts through multiple seasons of high-volume fieldwork.
Hassle-free MIPI/GMSL connectivity and platform integration
Vision-guided smart sprayers require robust communication between cameras, compute units, and external systems. Using MIPI and GMSL interfaces, camera data streams directly into platforms like NVIDIA Jetson, ensuring high-speed, low-latency image capture under field conditions.
This setup enables real-time integration with GPS modules, wireless networks, and farm management software. Operators can track spray coverage, chemical usage, and system health through connected dashboards while maintaining data traceability for compliance and sustainability goals.
Right type of lens
Lens selection is equally critical. The choice of focal length, aperture, and optical coating directly impacts image quality, depth of field, and distortion. Wide-angle lenses may offer broader coverage but can introduce geometric distortion if uncorrected. Fixed-focus lenses offer better stability in vibrating systems, while ruggedized M12 or CS-mount lenses with locking mechanisms help maintain alignment over time.
e-con Systems Offers Custom Cameras For Smart Surveillance
e-con Systems has been designing, developing, and manufacturing OEM cameras since 2003. We provide several camera solutions for precision agriculture, including:
- 5MP Sony Pregius S IMX568 Global Shutter Camera
- IP67 GMSL2 Multi-Camera for NVIDIA Jetson AGX ORIN™ / AGX Xavier™
- 20MP AR2020 High-Resolution Camera
- 3MP Sony® ISX031 120dB HDR Camera
- 4K AR0830 RGB-IR USB 3.2 Gen 1 Camera
These cameras can handle moisture, dust, shock, and vibration, meeting the rigorous demands of modern agriculture. Moreover, thanks to the NVIDIA ecosystem, e-con Systems gets access to pre-trained models and software libraries, which are customized for precision agriculture.
Use our Camera Selector to browse our full portfolio.
Learn more about our precision agriculture expertise.
If you need help integrating cameras into your precision agriculture application, please write to camerasolutions@e-consystems.com.
Ram Prasad is a Camera Solution Architect with over 12 years of experience in embedded product development, technical architecture, and delivering vision-based solution. He has been instrumental in enabling 100+ customers across diverse industries to integrate the right imaging technologies into their products. His expertise spans a wide range of applications, including smart surveillance, precision agriculture, industrial automation, and mobility solutions. Ram’s deep understanding of embedded vision systems has helped companies accelerate innovation and build reliable, future-ready products.