Working With
People Who
Know the Field
We collaborate with universities, research programs, and industry partners to advance autonomous agricultural operations. PITSTOP began as a university partnership. We're looking for the next one.
Purdue University
Liberty Aerotech partnered with Purdue's ABE capstone program to develop Phase I of Project PITSTOP — an autonomous robotic ground servicing station for heavy-lift agricultural UAVs.
The team delivered an initial prototype covering mechanical design, controls integration, and a functional demonstration of autonomous docking — winning First Place at the Purdue ABE Impact & Innovation Showcase. Provisional patent filed April 2026. Development is ongoing.
Learn About PITSTOPWhere We're Looking to Collaborate
BVLOS Command & Control
DAA enablers, health monitoring, and fail-safe behaviors for routine beyond visual line of sight operations in rural ag corridors — aligned with emerging FAA Part 108 frameworks.
Autonomous Ag Operations
End-to-end autonomy from mission planning to precision spray application with verifiable coverage, variable-rate control, and post-mission compliance logging.
Sensor & Data Pipeline
Closing the loop from multispectral crop monitoring to targeted spray prescription — identifying what the field needs and translating that into an actionable application map.
Partnership Models
Capstone & Co-ops
Real engineering problems, flight platform access, and potential for joint patents. Hybrid/remote options available. Summer field ops for motivated teams.
Co-Development
Joint engineering with shared roadmaps. Stage-gated field trials with safety review. Background IP retained; project IP negotiable. Path to commercial deployment.
Data & Platform Access
Use of our heavy-lift platforms, RTK GNSS, spray subsystems, and anonymized mission telemetry to accelerate applied research.
How to Get in Touch
Send a short concept — 2 to 3 pages — covering the areas below. We respond within two weeks.
| Section | What to Include |
|---|---|
| Objective | Problem statement and expected impact on safety or commercial readiness |
| Technical Approach | Methods, datasets or simulators, target hardware |
| Validation | Metrics, test matrix, safety gates, documentation plan |
| Timeline & Resources | Phases, student roles, budget estimate |
| Outcomes | Deliverables, publications, IP expectations |