Sylva Systems is a team designing and deploying mechatronics solutions for unique conservation challenges.
Closely working with an organization based in the Amazon Rainforest, we are building an autonomous, long-range, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as our pilot project.
Current Project
Rangers in the Amazon Rainforest face a daunting daily task: surveying the hundreds of thousands of acres under their protection. Illegal logging, mining, and slash-and-burn farming operations pose as constant threats.
Networks of trails allow operators to patrol their land, but when sections of their reserves are days away via boat or foot, they can be limiting. Technology already helps aid this. When the roar of chainsaws are heard, small off the shelf drones can be shot up and scout out the area. Satellite imagery can be used to create revealing before-and-after snapshots of the forest. Even small planes can be rented out from local communities to fly overhead, giving a much needed birds-eye view of any emergent developments.
But these too have their limitations. Commercial drones have ranges of only a couple of miles, not the hundreds needed to fly a complete tour. They also usually can’t handle the insane humidity and environmental conditions of the Amazon. Drones are sometimes considered an annual expense with how often they need to be replaced. Satellite images can take months to update, are expensive to order, and can’t provide the detailed precision often needed. Renting flight time with planes can also be expensive between fuel and pilot labor costs. Scheduling challenges mean that it can sometimes be 1-2 months between flights.
We are bridging the gap between commercial drones and military-grade UAVs for remote, rainforest enviornments.
Above all else, our platform needs to be:
- Reliable,
- to be easy to use and dependable over thousands of flights.
- Rugged,
- to survive the harsh conditions of the jungle and to be field-repairable.
- Long-range,
- to be able to fly 100+ miles and cover the vast swathes of forest under protection in a single flight.
- Autonomous,
- to make that long-haul possible, adapt to critical situations, and make it home safely every time.
All of these capabilities and constraints must also match existing regulatory frameworks in order to be able to fly. It’s why we’re prioritizing simple, safe, and cost-effective design choices.
Q4 2026
We are excited to announce that we are working hand in hand with a conservation organization for this project. We are currently in the design and prototyping stage, and hope to demo an initial product in the Amazon Basin by the end of Q4 2026.