Sensor and Actuator Technologies for Environmental Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Operations

Over the past decade, drones have moved from experimental tools to practical workhorses in environmental monitoring. Their real value lies in the sensors and actuators they carry, which determine the kind of information that can be collected and how reliably it can be gathered. This review looks at the range of sensor systems now used in ecological, forestry, and agricultural work—from standard RGB cameras to multispectral and hyperspectral units, LiDAR, thermal imagers, and radar. It also considers the often-overlooked role of actuators, such as gimbals and stabilizing mounts, that keep sensors steady and improve data quality, as well as devices for collecting physical samples. Drawing field-based examples, this study explores how these technologies are deployed for tasks like mapping forest biomass, tracking habitat change, assessing fire recovery, and monitoring crops. It concludes by discussing practical constraints, emerging sensor designs, and the likely direction of drone-based monitoring in the years ahead.