VDI Conference: Is the Time Ripe for Automation and Robotics in Agriculture?
Future Farming reports one of the main topics at the 4th International VDI Conference in Düsseldorf, Germany, was whether farmers and regulators are ready for automation and robotics.
About 40 international specialists on automation and robotics in agriculture gathered at the event, which included field robot manufacturers such as AgroIntelli, Digital Workbench, Earth Rover, Naïo Technologies, Odd.Bot, PeK Automotive, and Small Robot Company. The event also featured speakers from multinationals such as DeLaval, Pöttinger, Sick, Trimble, and Septentrio.
According to Gaëtan Séverac, co-founder of Naïo Technologies, the diversity of crops is challenging when it comes to robotic hoeing and weed removal. “But not only that,” he said, “field robots are also challenging from a safety and security point of view. High crops still are a challenge compared to for instance greenhouse and warehouse robots and autonomous road vehicles. There’s still a human operator in charge of field robots. In the USA, autonomous (farm) vehicles are not prohibited. But if something goes wrong, it’s not clear who is responsible and liable (owner, operator, manufacturer, dealer, …). Yet, no one wants to stop nor slow down the developments.”
Naïo currently has sold over 350 field robots and so far clocked 80,000 hours of autonomous navigation.
Josef Schmidt, CEO of Digital Workbench, explained that agriculture is taking advantage of automation and autonomous advancements in the automotive industry: “All sorts of sensors and cameras to safeguard autonomous operations are now available at affordable prices thanks to the automotive industry. Such as LiDAR, radar, visual cameras, ultrasonic sensors and so on. But we can also benefit from the current EV (electric vehicle) trend. Our advantage though when it comes to safety, is that agricultural fields are normally privately owned.” Schmidt also said that he feels “only a work/operation planning done by professionals (instead of farmers) guarantees a satisfying work result of an automated system. Like in industry.”
https://www.futurefarming.com/