Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

harvest

Kuka demonstrates mobile robots for harvesting apples

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Kuka and the Upper Bavarian startup company Digital Workbench Gmbh have launched a co-operation with the aim of developing a product for the agricultural sector: a mobile harvesting robot to support fruit farmers during the apple harvest.

Josef Schmidt, founder and managing director of Digital Workbench, says: “Both companies are contributing one of their most innovative new developments for automation in fruit growing to this cooperation.

“With Kuka, we have an absolute specialist with many years of experience and sophisticated know-how in the field of robotics at our side. The result is a practiceoriented collaboration that will provide us with many valuable insights for our next development steps with regard to automation in fruit growing. [Read more…] about Kuka demonstrates mobile robots for harvesting apples

Hippo Harvest employs Zebra robots for indoor farming operations

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Hippo Harvest, a California-based controlled environment agriculture startup, has successfully integrated autonomous mobile robots from Zebra Technologies, a supply chain technology solution provider, into its indoor farming operations.

The robots have been put to use mainly to grow greens. Zebra says the robots enabling the company to “save up to 92 percent of water and use 55 percent less fertilizer than conventional produce growers”.

Hippo Harvest is using advanced plant science, machine learning, and robotics to grow leafy greens and other produce in sustainable greenhouse environments. [Read more…] about Hippo Harvest employs Zebra robots for indoor farming operations

CNH Industrial adds new automation and autonomy solutions to agtech portfolio

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CNH Industrial debuted its latest automation and autonomy solutions at its Tech Day in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, at the start of this year.

New Driverless Tillage and Driver Assist Harvest solutions from Raven, and Baler Automation from Case IH and New Holland, deliver automation and autonomous equipment enhancements.

They all help solve farming’s biggest challenges: to increase productivity and to do more with less resources, more sustainably. These latest technology developments form part of our agtech roadmap. [Read more…] about CNH Industrial adds new automation and autonomy solutions to agtech portfolio

Advanced Farm Technologies completes $25 million Series B funding round

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Advanced Farm Technologies, developers of robotic technology for farmers, has completed a series B investment round raising $25 million to support the company’s growth in strawberry harvesting and the adaptation of its technology to apple harvesting.

The Series B funding round was led by Catapult Ventures and included all the Series A investors Kubota Corporation, Yamaha Motor Corporation, and Impact Ventures.

Kyle Cobb, president, and co-founder of Advanced Farm Technologies, says: “It is gratifying to have the ongoing support and commitment from our early investors in this funding round. It reflects all of our team’s hard work to develop and bring our TX Strawberry Harvester to the market. [Read more…] about Advanced Farm Technologies completes $25 million Series B funding round

Agriculture robotics startup Future Acres looking to raise $3 million

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Startup Future Acres is looking to raise $3 million to bring agricultural robotics to the farm industry in order to “optimize workforce efficiency”. 

The initiative to raise up to $3 million in seed capital is being organized through the equity crowdfunding site SeedInvest. The company is producing an autonomous, electric agricultural robotic harvest companion, named Carry, to help farmers gather hand-picked crops faster and with less physical demand.

At a time when farmers are tasked with producing more food than ever before to meet growing global population demands – predicted to get as high as 10 billion people by 2050 – limitations in labor and harvesting tools, in addition to environmental scrutiny, have prevented farmers from staying profitable and scaling their businesses. [Read more…] about Agriculture robotics startup Future Acres looking to raise $3 million

Scientists build robot to climb coconut trees

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A group of scientists has developed a robot that can climb coconut trees and harvest the delicious fruit, or nut, or whatever it is. (See video below.)

In a paper authored by nine authors, the researchers say there is “an acute shortage of human coconut tree climbers to harvest coconuts in India and other developing countries”.

In response, the team has built a robot called Amaran, which is described as “a novel robotic coconut tree climber and harvester”, and which can be operated through a smartphone. [Read more…] about Scientists build robot to climb coconut trees

Mercedes expands development of autonomous commercial vehicle systems

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From project to product: With AXYARD, Lab1886 and Daimler Trucks automate the operation of commercial vehicles

The automated snow removal by two self-driving Mercedes-Benz Arocs in Immendingen shows a successful application for automated commercial vehicles in closed areas.

The joint project of Lab1886, the innovation unit for new business models within Mercedes-Benz AG, and Daimler Trucks, the inventor of the truck, has now become a product that can be used as a solution for various customer requirements in sectors such as on-site logistics and agriculture.

Lab1886 and Daimler Trucks, together with Fraport, demonstrated the operation of self-driving snow-clearing vehicles in non-public closed areas for the first time in October 2017 as part of a pilot project on the site of the former Pferdsfeld air base. [Read more…] about Mercedes expands development of autonomous commercial vehicle systems

Harvest Croo Robotics field tests autonomous strawberry-picking vehicle

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Harvest Croo Robotics is field testing an autonomous vehicle designed to help plant and pick strawberries, according to a report on ThePacker.com. 

The new vehicle looks rather unlike your typical farm vehicle, and is designed to straddle six strawberry beds as it moves along. It uses GPS navigation, LiDAR vision and carries 16 robots which will do the actual planting and picking of the strawberries.

The robots will use a proprietary vision system which will identify which strawberries are ready to be picked (probably based on colour as robots can’t smell or taste yet as far as we know). Picked strawberries will then be moved to the platform level for further inspection and grading.  [Read more…] about Harvest Croo Robotics field tests autonomous strawberry-picking vehicle