parentshiftbook Chapter 57, Line 3
Chapter 57, Line 3
What Su Chen didn't expect was that another unexpected person came the next day.
Chen Hongyuan.
A professor at South China Agricultural University. The author of the paper published in the *Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering* that verified the accuracy of Hongyuan's plant protection flight control system.
He didn't come for an interview. He came on his own initiative after seeing the report on yesterday's media conference.
"Mr. Su, I saw yesterday's news. I think your flight control platform concept is excellent. But I want to tell you something."
"Please speak."
"Several media outlets may contact me tomorrow to ask for my opinion on your remarks yesterday. My paper is currently the only independent third-party verification of the accuracy of Hongyuan flight control systems. That's why reporters will be looking for me."
Su Chen nodded.
"I'd like to ask you—how should I put it?"
Su Chen didn't expect Chen Hongyuan to take the initiative to ask this question.
"Professor Chen, just tell the truth. You don't need to say nice things for us."
Chen Hongyuan smiled.
"I just wanted to confirm something. I conducted independent tests on your flight control system before, and I collected the data myself. Every word I say is supported by data. But I don't want to be misunderstood as Hongyuan's 'academic spokesperson.'"
"You are not," Su Chen said. "You are an independent researcher. You are stating facts as you have observed them yourself. That is more powerful than any marketing."
Chen Hongyuan nodded.
"Okay. Then I'll tell you the truth. My data shows that Hongyuan's flight controllers have reached the top level in China in terms of accuracy and stability in agricultural application scenarios. This isn't about taking sides—it's data."
"That's enough," Su Chen said.
Before leaving, Chen Hongyuan added, "By the way, Mr. Su, our lab recently secured a research project on the flight control accuracy of industrial drones. If you do get involved in industrial applications in the future, we might be able to collaborate again."
Su Chen's eyes twitched slightly.
"Thank you, Professor Chen. I'll remember that."
Chen Hongyuan's interview was published that afternoon.
Indeed, as he said—he only presented the data. He didn't say a single word in support of Hongyuan.
But the data itself is the strongest endorsement.
"Professor Chen Hongyuan of South China Agricultural University: Hongyuan Flight Control has reached the top level in China in terms of precision and stability in plant protection scenarios" - this sentence was put in the headline of every media outlet.
It wasn't because Su Chen asked him to say it.
It was because he wanted to say it himself.
And there is data.
This works better than any other tool.
That evening, Su Chen opened a product that did not belong to Hongyuan for the first time in the virtual disassembly lab.
An industrial inspection drone.
The model is the Phantom 4 RTK from a certain company. It costs over 30,000 yuan. It is specifically designed for industrial scenarios such as power line inspection, photovoltaic testing, and bridge inspection.
Su Chen disassembled it completely in the virtual laboratory.
The components include the fuselage, motor, ESC, heat dissipation structure, battery management module, RTK positioning module, flight control motherboard, and obstacle avoidance sensor.
Each module was magnified, rotated, and disassembled in the virtual laboratory.
Su Chen wasn't learning how to make industrial drones—he was learning about the specific flight control requirements of industrial scenarios.
It's different from plant protection.
The core requirements for plant protection scenarios are precise seeding, low-altitude stability, and automated flight paths. The flight altitude is typically three to five meters. The speed is not high. The environment is relatively simple—flat farmland with occasional trees and utility poles.
But industrial inspection is completely different.
Power line inspection requires high-precision flight in complex mountainous environments, sometimes coming within meters of high-voltage power lines. Photovoltaic inspection requires precisely photographing each solar panel above a large power station, demanding extremely high precision in shooting angles and flight paths. Bridge inspection requires stable hovering in narrow spaces under bridges, while GPS signals may be blocked by the bridge structure.
These scenarios place an order of magnitude higher demands on flight control systems than those for agricultural and consumer applications.
Su Chen spent three hours disassembling the Phantom 4 RTK.
His conclusion was that the core flight control algorithm for industrial inspection has more than 60% overlap with the underlying algorithms for plant protection and consumer applications.
Inertial navigation fusion, environmental adaptation, and extreme temperature compensation—these are problems he has already solved on the F3, and they also exist in industrial inspection scenarios, only with more extreme parameters and higher accuracy requirements.
The real new technological needs are mainly three:
1. RTK centimeter-level positioning - Consumer and agricultural applications use GPS meter-level positioning, while industrial applications require centimeter-level positioning.
II. Visual obstacle avoidance – Obstacles in industrial settings are far more complex than those in farmland, requiring real-time obstacle avoidance.
Third, autonomous route planning – it is not simply flying back and forth, but automatically planning the optimal route based on the detected target.
Each of these three technical requirements is an independent R&D project. Given Hongyuan's current team size, it's unrealistic to work on three new projects simultaneously.
But Su Chen doesn't need to do both at the same time.
He can first test the flight control fusion algorithm of the RTK positioning module in a virtual laboratory—this is the least technically difficult of the three new requirements, but has the greatest import value.
Because RTK hardware modules are readily available on the market. The real challenge lies in integrating RTK signals with flight control algorithms, enabling centimeter-level positioning to be fed back to the flight control layer in real time—rather than simply adding an external GPS module to the flight control board.
Su Chen spent two nights in the virtual lab running the basic framework of the RTK fusion algorithm.
He didn't tell anyone.
Because this is just the beginning. There's a long way to go from framework to product. Visual obstacle avoidance and autonomous flight path planning haven't been resolved yet. The team isn't fully prepared.
But Su Chen now knows something.
The third option is feasible.
It's not just possible—it's definitely possible.
Because the underlying technology of flight control is universal. The difference between agricultural and industrial applications lies not in the underlying technology, but in the upper-level applications and parameters.
This means that Hongyuan's flight control platform can be horizontally extended to any scenario that requires stable flight—as long as the corresponding adaptation is done at the upper level.
Su Chen closed the virtual laboratory.
He opened the draft of the three-year plan, drew a line under the question mark next to "industrial inspection," and changed it to an arrow:
[Industrial Inspection → RTK Fusion Algorithm Has Been Verified, to be Launched Once the Team is Ready]
Then he added a line below:
[Prerequisites: R&D team expanded to ≥20 people, dedicated funding ≥1 million, timeline → Q2 of next year]
Su Chen closed the document.
It's not time to announce it yet.
The battle between consumer and crop protection products isn't over yet. F3 needs to solidify its leading position in county-level markets over the next few months. The crop protection SDK needs to continue expanding its customer base and channels. The team needs time to grow.
But the direction has already been determined.
Flight control is the platform. Plant protection is the first application layer. Industrial inspection will be the second.
The underlying flight control technology is shared between these two application layers.
This is the power of a platform.
Su Chen turned off the lights.
Tonight was the first time since his rebirth that he felt he had truly seen the ultimate fate of this company.
It is not a drone company.
It is not a plant protection company.
It is a flight control technology platform company.
Its value lies not in how many machines are sold, but in how many scenarios use its flight control system.
There are two now.
There will be three next year.
In the more distant future—perhaps four, five, or more.
Each new scenario makes the company's moat deeper and wider.
The core of the moat is always flight control.
Su Chen closed his eyes.
There's still a lot to do tomorrow.
The third batch of F3 units is ready to be shipped. Two new clients for the plant protection SDK are awaiting integration. Follow-up with the overseas client in Thailand is also needed. Zhang Lei's team is optimizing the next firmware version for F3.
As for the matter of industrial inspection—he'll leave that on his mind for now.
When the time is right, it will naturally be brought out.
Just like how the F3 was initially transformed from a concept into a product.
Patience is the most important skill.
Su Chen knew this.
Because he had been taught this in his previous life for fifteen years.