Farewell to Malaysia Flying Labs

After 4 years of being part of the Flying Labs Network, the host organisation of Malaysia Flying Labs will be transitioning to new opportunities. It's always bittersweet when a Flying Labs begins a new chapter beyond the Network. Malaysia Flying Labs joined the global Flying Labs Network in 2022, bringing with them a deep passion for agricultural innovation and a commitment to exploring how drones, robotics, and data could transform farming practices in Southeast Asia and beyond.

At its launch,  Malaysia Flying Labs focused on building local capacity in drone technology, equipping professionals with the knowledge and skills to apply these tools to real-world challenges. Over time, agriculture became one of the team's key areas of work:

• They partnered with local farmers to use drones for pesticide and fertilizer spraying, helping improve crop yields while reducing the need for manual labour. 
• They worked on developing a robotic system capable of navigating the challenging undercanopy environment of oil palm plantations. 
• They contributed to conversation on agricultural innovation within the Network and beyond. For example, at the 2023 World Congress on Innovation and Technology, they shared insights into how robotics and drone technologies are transforming farming by automating labour-intensive activities.

Beyond their in-country work, Malaysia Flying Labs was an active presence in the Network's collaborative spaces. Khoo was a committed member of the Agriculture Working Group, which later evolved into the Agriculture Expertise Hub, contributing his technical knowledge of plantation agronomy and UAV applications for crop management. He was also a member of the Heritage Mapping Expertise Hub, reflecting his broader interest in the applications of drone technology across sectors.

In 2025, Khoo joined Costa Rica, Uganda, and Zimbabwe Flying Labs in a webinar on Modern Tools and Strategies for Smarter Farming, where he shared insights on leveraging geospatial data for plantation agronomy, including plant health assessments and strategic approaches to oil palm and fruit crop management. It was a strong example of the kind of cross-regional learning that makes the Network valuable — practitioners from four different countries and three continents exchanging practical knowledge on shared agricultural challenges.

As we say goodbye to Malaysia Flying Labs, we celebrate the team's contributions to the Network and wish them every success in their future endeavours.

With this transition, the Flying Labs licence for Malaysia is now available. Organisations and companies based in Malaysia that are interested in joining the Flying Labs Network are encouraged to learn more about the Network’s membership requirements and submit their applications.