It used to be mostly the military that used small, unpiloted aircraft, called "drones." The little planes were very costly. But as they have dropped in price more people have begun to use them. Rescue workers and farmers are among the new users.
以前使用小型无人驾驶飞机的大多是军方。这种小型飞机曾经非常昂贵。但是随着价格的下降，越来越多人开始使用无人机。救援人员和农民就是其中的新用户。
A company in France is using drones to help farmers examine their crops and limit the amount of fertilizer they use.
法国一家公司开始使用无人机帮助农民检查自己的庄稼，并减少他们的化肥使用量。
The fast rate of development of computer technology, image sensing devices, satellite navigation and smartphones has led to lower-priced drones. Researchers and developers have learned how to build smaller and less-costly drones sought by individuals, companies and governments.
计算机技术、图像传感设备、卫星导航和智能手机的快速发展使得无人机价格越来越低。研究人员和开发人员已经学会了如何制造个人、企业和政府想要的更小更廉价的无人机。
Moviemakers are using drones to film from the sky. Historians use them when they explore ancient buildings. Rescue workers use them to look for people. And now farmers are using them to monitor their crops.
电影制作人开始使用无人机从空中拍摄。历史学家使用无人机发掘古建筑。救援人员使用无人机来搜救。而现在农民开始使用无人机来监测庄稼。
Romain Faroux is a French businessman who starts companies. His father was a farmer. He believed drones could help farmers. He helped create a company that developed a small drone that could be controlled by people on the ground. They called it "Agridrone." It uses a special "optical sensor" to examine crops.
罗曼·法鲁克（Romain Faroux）是一位开办公司的法国商人。他的父亲是一位农民。他认为无人机能帮助农民。他帮助建立了一家公司，这家公司开发出了地面人员可以控制的无人机。他们称之为“农业无人机”。这种无人机使用一种特殊的光学传感器来检查农作物。
He says the technology used is similar to that used by smartphones -- except it has wings. He says the industrialization of electronic parts for smartphones and tablets lets them get the technology -- including GPS -- at a very low price.
他说这种无人机除了有机翼，它用到的技术和智能手机所用的技术很相似。他说，智能手机和平板电脑的电子部件的产业化让他们以非常低的价格获得了包括GPS在内的技术。
A computer program directs the drone to fly over the crops. The sensor on the drone records four different-colored "bands" of sunlight that are reflected off the crops.
计算机程序引导这种无人机飞跃农作物。无人机上的传感器记录农作物反射的四种不同颜色的太阳光带。
Jean-Baptiste Bruggeman is a farmer. He says the drone flies over his crops at different times of the season. He says this provides a lot of information about his crops.
让·巴蒂斯特·布鲁格曼（Jean-Baptiste Bruggeman）是一位农民。他说这个季节无人机在不同时间飞跃他的庄稼，提供了很多关于庄稼的信息。
He says the drone pictures show him the exact amount of fertilizer the crops need. He says it also shows exactly where the fertilizer is needed. Some areas of a field may need more than others.
他说，无人机图像向他展示了庄稼所需化肥的确切数量。他说图像还展示了需要化肥的确切位置。农田的一些区域可能比其它区域需要更多的化肥。
As a result, Mr. Bruggeman says there is reduced nitrogen from the fertilizer after the harvest. This helps nature.
布鲁格曼先生表示，其结果就是庄稼收割后，来自化肥的氮的含量减少。这对大自然有帮助。
Romain Faroux says farmers use information gathered by the Agridrone to place fertilizer only in areas where it was needed. This saves money and reduces pollution. Before they used the drones, farmers would put the same amount of fertilizer everywhere.
法鲁克表示，农民利用农业无人机收集到的信息，仅给需要化肥的区域施肥。这样可以节省资金和减少污染。在使用无人机之前，农民们向所有区域施放等量化肥。
Drones also save time because farmers can examine up to three hectares in about a minute.
无人机还能节省时间，因为农民们能在一分钟左右检查多达三公顷的庄稼。
I'm Marsha James.
我是玛莎·詹姆斯（Marsha James）。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利，未经授权请勿转载，违者必究！)