It’s a small invention with a big goal – helping farmers cut down on food loss.
Four Northern Virginia high school students recently invented a drone called FloraFly, equipped with sensors and AI technology. It’s aimed at helping small businesses farmers fly over their land, quickly identify invasive species, and prevent pests.
Inventors Praneel Mukherjee, Sumedh Pendyala, Anekan Naicker, and Jayesh Reddy Muktaparapu all attend the Academies of Loudoun in Ashburn. Their drone won first place in the 2025-2026 International Youth Environmental Challenge. It’s been used at 26 farms around the country, and the students say it’s helped save more than 13,500 pounds of food.
The students stopped by the News4 studios to talk about their invention.
