ModalAI Forum

Title: Starling 2 Max – GPS-Denied Autonomous Navigation Inside Rose Greenhouses

Hello ModalAI Engineering Team,

We are developing FloraVision AI, an agricultural computer vision platform for commercial rose production in Ecuador.

We are evaluating the Starling 2 Max for autonomous indoor flights inside commercial rose greenhouses.

Operating environment:

• Location: Tabacundo, Ecuador.
• Altitude: approximately 2,800–3,000 meters above sea level.
• GNSS-denied greenhouse environment.
• Metal structures, support wires, plastic roofing, and dense vegetation.
• Visually repetitive rows of rose plants.
• Requirement for repeatable image-acquisition missions above crops.

We would appreciate technical guidance on the following questions:

1. Which onboard localization and navigation capabilities are available for autonomous flight without GNSS?
2. How reliable is visual-inertial localization in repetitive greenhouse rows with limited visual features?
3. Can the platform execute predefined and repeatable trajectories without GPS?
4. What software components, SDKs, or additional development are required to implement those trajectories?
5. Which onboard sensors are used for obstacle detection and avoidance, and what limitations should we consider around thin wires, foliage, and greenhouse structures?
6. Does ModalAI have documentation or examples for autonomous indoor waypoint navigation using Starling 2 Max?
7. What safety measures and fallback behaviors are recommended if localization becomes unreliable?

We understand that application-specific development is our responsibility. We are seeking confirmation of the platform's existing capabilities, technical limitations, and recommended development resources.

Thank you for your guidance.

FloraVision AI Engineering Team
Ecuador

Title: Starling 2 Max – Dual 12 MP RGB Cameras, ToF and Downward-Facing Image Capture

Hello ModalAI Engineering Team,

We are evaluating the Starling 2 Max for an agricultural computer vision application involving rose bud detection, counting, and phenological-stage classification.

Our intended workflow involves capturing high-resolution images above rose crops and processing them through our FloraVision AI platform.

We are particularly interested in the dual 12 MP RGB camera configuration, preferably with ToF capability (C29).

Could you please help clarify:

1. Which Starling 2 Max configuration provides the most suitable high-resolution RGB cameras for our application?
2. Is the C29 configuration currently supported, and what are its camera and depth-sensing capabilities?
3. Can the RGB cameras be configured for downward-facing image acquisition?
4. Can the platform capture full-resolution still images programmatically, rather than only video frames?
5. What camera controls are available through the SDK, including exposure, gain, image format, resolution, and capture timing?
6. Can captured images be associated with timestamps and available vehicle pose or localization metadata?
7. What onboard storage options and image-transfer interfaces are supported?
8. Can images be stored locally during a mission and transferred after landing without requiring continuous Internet connectivity?

We plan to process the images using a cloud-based computer vision pipeline. Real-time onboard inference is not an initial requirement.

We would appreciate links to relevant camera documentation, SDK examples, and supported hardware configurations.

Thank you for your assistance.

FloraVision AI Engineering Team
Ecuador

Title: Starling 2 Max – GPS-Denied Autonomous Navigation Inside Rose Greenhouses

Hello ModalAI Engineering Team,

We are developing FloraVision AI, an agricultural computer vision platform for commercial rose production in Ecuador.

We are evaluating the Starling 2 Max for autonomous indoor flights inside commercial rose greenhouses.

Operating environment:

• Location: Tabacundo, Ecuador.
• Altitude: approximately 2,800–3,000 meters above sea level.
• GNSS-denied greenhouse environment.
• Metal structures, support wires, plastic roofing, and dense vegetation.
• Visually repetitive rows of rose plants.
• Requirement for repeatable image-acquisition missions above crops.

We would appreciate technical guidance on the following questions:

1. Which onboard localization and navigation capabilities are available for autonomous flight without GNSS?
2. How reliable is visual-inertial localization in repetitive greenhouse rows with limited visual features?
3. Can the platform execute predefined and repeatable trajectories without GPS?
4. What software components, SDKs, or additional development are required to implement those trajectories?
5. Which onboard sensors are used for obstacle detection and avoidance, and what limitations should we consider around thin wires, foliage, and greenhouse structures?
6. Does ModalAI have documentation or examples for autonomous indoor waypoint navigation using Starling 2 Max?
7. What safety measures and fallback behaviors are recommended if localization becomes unreliable?

We understand that application-specific development is our responsibility. We are seeking confirmation of the platform's existing capabilities, technical limitations, and recommended development resources.

Thank you for your guidance.

FloraVision AI Engineering Team
Ecuador

Title: Starling 2 Max – Flight Performance at 2,800–3,000 m Above Sea Level

Hello ModalAI Engineering Team,

We are evaluating the Starling 2 Max for research flights inside rose greenhouses in Tabacundo, Ecuador, at approximately 2,800–3,000 meters above sea level.

Before purchasing the aircraft, we need to assess whether this operating environment falls within its safe flight-performance limits.

Could you please clarify:

1. What is the maximum recommended operating altitude above mean sea level for the Starling 2 Max?
2. Has flight performance been tested or characterized at approximately 3,000 meters above sea level?
3. What reduction in thrust margin or flight endurance should we expect at this altitude?
4. Are there recommended limits for payload, battery configuration, ambient temperature, or mission duration under these conditions?
5. Does ModalAI provide performance curves or engineering data that could help us evaluate this operating scenario?
6. Are there any special safety precautions or configuration changes recommended for high-altitude operation?

Our primary concern is maintaining adequate thrust margin and safe, repeatable flight performance inside a confined greenhouse environment.

We would appreciate any relevant documentation or test data.

Thank you.

FloraVision AI Engineering Team
Ecuador

Title: Starling 2 Max – GPS-Denied Autonomous Navigation Inside Rose Greenhouses

Hello ModalAI Engineering Team,

We are developing FloraVision AI, an agricultural computer vision platform for commercial rose production in Ecuador.

We are evaluating the Starling 2 Max for autonomous indoor flights inside commercial rose greenhouses.

Operating environment:

• Location: Tabacundo, Ecuador.
• Altitude: approximately 2,800–3,000 meters above sea level.
• GNSS-denied greenhouse environment.
• Metal structures, support wires, plastic roofing, and dense vegetation.
• Visually repetitive rows of rose plants.
• Requirement for repeatable image-acquisition missions above crops.

We would appreciate technical guidance on the following questions:

1. Which onboard localization and navigation capabilities are available for autonomous flight without GNSS?
2. How reliable is visual-inertial localization in repetitive greenhouse rows with limited visual features?
3. Can the platform execute predefined and repeatable trajectories without GPS?
4. What software components, SDKs, or additional development are required to implement those trajectories?
5. Which onboard sensors are used for obstacle detection and avoidance, and what limitations should we consider around thin wires, foliage, and greenhouse structures?
6. Does ModalAI have documentation or examples for autonomous indoor waypoint navigation using Starling 2 Max?
7. What safety measures and fallback behaviors are recommended if localization becomes unreliable?

We understand that application-specific development is our responsibility. We are seeking confirmation of the platform's existing capabilities, technical limitations, and recommended development resources.

Thank you for your guidance.

FloraVision AI Engineering Team
Ecuador