Meet the new crop

Guardian Agriculture's electric autonomous drones. Photo courtesy of Guardian Agriculture

The first large electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft approved for commercial deployment in the U.S. isn't an urban air taxi or a cargo shuttle. It's an aerial crop-spraying machine for farm fields.

Why it matters: Commercial farmers have been moving away from tractor sprayers, which can damage crops, to autonomous aerial systems. But most crop-spraying drones are too small to cover enough acreage.

What's next: The green light from the Federal Aviation Administration means Massachusetts-based Guardian is now ramping up production of the $300,000 machines.