Laser-carrying drones that can see through the forest canopy are being used to protect native Scottish plants threatened by invasive species.

The drones use Lidar (light detection and ranging), which works like radar but uses light instead of radio waves.

Laser pulses are fired at the trees below and the time it takes for wavelengths to bounce back is used to create a 3D picture of what lies beneath.

The data is combined with information from satellites to give an accurate "fix" of the drone's position.

It all builds up an accurate map of the health of the forest floor.

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