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Final week, town of Salinas, California performed host to the 2023 FIRA USA agricultural robotics present. The exhibition showcased over 25 revolutionary agricultural robotics options and related know-how distributors.
The focus of this yr’s present was undoubtedly the charming in-field demonstrations, showcasing quite a lot of autonomous options working on actual crops. In a strategic transfer to reinforce the general expertise, this yr’s extremely anticipated occasion was rescheduled from its earlier October date to the month of September. The first goal behind this choice was to facilitate the dwell in-field demonstrations. Primarily based by myself expertise, this choice proved to be a convincing success for the distributors concerned.
Nonetheless, the unlucky facet impact of placing the present on the finish of the rising season was that the occasion was evenly attended by precise farmers, who needed to keep dwelling to reap their crops.
I talked to a number of distributors who have been disillusioned by the shortage of finish customers on the present, however the tractor distributors/VARs and resellers have been there, in addition to business insiders, buyers, and a big contingent of native college children.
Burro demonstrated new options
Burro demoed the brand new autonomous connecting charger performance. | Credit score: The Robotic Report
Burro is an autonomous cellular robotic firm that produces a nimble outside AMR that’s helpful for serving to to maneuver materials across the farm. Burro AMRs have been deployed into functions comparable to hauling crates of picked grapes from human pickers to the packing stations within the area in addition to towing movable carts round plant nurseries.
At FIRA, Burro demonstrated a number of new growth packs together with a brand new 3D lidar sensor with a bigger sensing vary that permits the protection zones for greater speeds. In addition they launched new high-torque motors and expanded brackets for greater payloads (as much as 750 lbs). Within the dwell demos in vineyards, a Burro geared up with a BCS/Zanon fashion mowing implement demonstrated a Burro in a mowing utility. Lastly, the corporate demonstrated its new autonomous charging station.
Register now in order that you do not miss this thrilling occasion.
Discipline demos have been the spotlight of the occasion
FIRA USA 2023 supplied guests with the chance to see the robots function in actual fields and examine the outcomes up shut. | Credit score: The Robotic Report
Within the area demos, firms together with SeedSpider, Stout Agtech, Mantis Agtech, Ecorobotix, Naio Applied sciences and Kult demonstrated mechanical weeding/cultivation on medium-density vegetable crops. These weeding models included each absolutely autonomous, standalone AMRs in addition to implement variations of the tools. Carbon Robotics demonstrated laser weeding and Verdant Robotics demonstrated selective spraying on high-density vegetable crops.
Within the winery and orchard demo areas, firms together with Agtonomy, Monarch, Farm-ng, PlantTape, Burro, Guss, and Naio demonstrated their autonomy, notion, and workflow options.
For my part, the Agtonomy answer carried out flawlessly in its navigation and notion, following latest software program releases after the launch of the product in April 2023 on the World Ag Expo. The corporate has partnered with Bobcat to supply the chassis for the Agtonomy answer and can look to companion with different OEM producers to deploy its autonomy and notion engine.
Piaggio Quick Ahead launched new Comply with Me module
Piaggio Quick Ahead demonstrated its new industrial “Comply with Me” module, a very self contained AMR steerage gadget. All it wants is energy and a community connection the robotic. | Credit score: The Robotic Report
Piaggio Quick Ahead (PFF) launched their new “observe me module” – a very self-contained, IP65 sealed notion and computing gadget that may be connected to any outside robotic and ship the identical performance seen on PFF’s Gita shopper robotics product line. This launch is a part of the PFF product roadmap as the corporate strikes from creating and perfecting its notion and steerage algorithms within the shopper electronics world to the necessities within the agricultural and industrial world.
Startup pitch contest winner: TRIC Robotics
The startup pitch occasion cohort of firms was particularly crowded and aggressive with twelve younger startups competing for bragging rights and a compelling prize package deal that features advisory companies, a sales space at subsequent yr’s FIRA USA occasion together with a wholesome money prize. The winner was TRIC Robotics, an autonomous answer that makes use of UVC mild to assist management fungus and pests on crops like strawberries. We’ve invited TRIC Robotics to compete on the upcoming RoboBusiness PitchFire occasion.
Attention-grabbing new GNSS answer: Geodnet
Final, however not least, the one serendipitous discovery on the present was a brand new firm referred to as Geodnet. On this planet of out of doors robotics, location accuracy is important, particularly for functions that require better accuracy than proved by a standalone GPS sign. To get positional accuracies within the centimeter vary requires using GNSS stations and receivers.
There are a selection of huge firms(e.g. Trimble, Fixposition) who at the moment are offering this service. Geodnet is taking a distinct method to the issue with a crowdsourcing mesh community answer, the place anybody can buy a Geodnet antenna, put it on their property, and register its location with the community. Finish customers (i.e. an autonomous tractor working in a area, or a supply robotic/drone) can then leverage the sign to seek out its place. The station homeowners then earn an revenue, within the type of a cyber foreign money, from these subscribers who use their stations’ information.