For the second year in a row, Future Farming and World FIRA are awarding the Ag Robot of the Year, the most promising newcomer to the Future Farming robot catalogue. And these are the 5 finalists!
Five field and harvest robots capable of automating one or more operations in outdoor grown crops have made it to the finals of the second global Ag Robot of the Year award election. The five finalists were selected by the Future Farming editorial team and a researcher of robotics and precision agriculture from Wageningen University & Research (WUR) after a thorough evaluation of the 12 candidates. These 12 candidates, field and harvest robots that were added to Future Farming’s buyers’ guide between February 2023 and January 2024, automatically qualified for the Ag Robot of the Year 2024 award.
The ARW-912 is a fully robotized weeding machine with 12 weeding units and a working width of 9 metres suitable for crops in row culture. Each unit has a camera that detects the weeds and controls the linked robot arm, which kills the weeds with a probe while the soil remains undisturbed. The image recognition system can detect and kill weeds from a very early stage. The machine runs on solar panels, is electrically powered and runs, RTK-gps controlled, on tracks. The ARW-912 can be used 24/7 and has a log function (all images, including GPS coordinates).
Tipard 1800 is an autonomous multi-carrier platform for the automation of entire process chains, partially in arable farming and fully in special crop cultivation such as drilling, fertilizing, weed and pest control and harvesting. The main frame has seven modular sub-frame spaces that can be equipped with various diesel engines with up to 40 kW of power, auxiliary fuel tanks, battery modules with up to 56 kWh battery capacity, a three-point hitch or various sensor units. There are five implement mounting options.
WEAI works with high precision which is especially important in rows of vegetables. Our robot has mechanical arms to remove weeds between rows and a hoeing system to remove weeds in the rows. In this way, you also reduce the use of herbicides so the farmers can reduce their costs and contribute to a healthier environment. Tests in Sweden showed that our robotic system can contribute to higher yields compared to conventional cultivation using herbicides. The robot uses RTK-GPS to navigate with 2 cm precision. Sensor fusion is also made with odometry and an IMU to get an accurate localization.
Jetty performs herbicide-free precision thermal weeding in high-density row crops such as carrots and spring mix. It identifies weeds among crops, using computer vision. It then sprays a micro-dose of organic-approved high-temperature vegetable oil onto the weeds with sub-cm precision to kill the weeds and allow crops to flourish. According to Tensorfield, Jetty delivers the fastest, most cost-effective method of getting a precise lethal dose of heat energy into a weed, to kill the weed in a targeted fashion among post-emergent crop foliage.
Tortuga’s platform combines AI, purpose-driven design and on-the-ground operations. The robot is primarily designed for harvesting but can also collect data for forecasts, treat plants with UV-C light and perform trimming. The robots have an autonomous base that navigates up and down the row and two arms that identify, move and pick fruit. The robot’s AI uses nearly twenty “models” to make picking decisions, relies on advanced software for two-arm picking and navigates in the row precisely.
About the Ag Robot of the Year award
With the new Ag Robot of the Year award, the initiators aim to support farmers worldwide in choosing the right type of robot for their farming operation. The winners will be announced at World FIRA taking place from 6 to 8 February 2024 in Toulouse/Auzeville-Tolosane (France).
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