Projects

Stationary systems:

FarmBot is an open­source and scalable automated precision farming machine and software package. Similar to today’s 3D printers and CNC milling machines, FarmBot hardware employs linear guides in the X, Y, and Z directions that allow for tooling such as plows, seed injectors, watering nozzles, and sensors, to be precisely positioned and used on the plants and soil. The entire system is numerically controlled and thus fully automated from the sowing of seeds to harvest. The hardware is designed to be simple, scalable, and hackable.

Farmbot

Mobile systems:

BoniRob is a multi-purpose robotic platform for applications in agriculture. Its four independently steerable drive wheels and the ability to adjust its trackwidth make BoniRob highly maneuverable. It can be run purely on batteries or connected to a generator to extend its range and usage time and can be retrofitted and upgraded with exchangeable application modules.

BoniRob from Bosch Deepfield Robotics

Ecorobotix claims to be the first ever completely autonomous machine for the ecological and economical weeding of row crops, meadows and intercropping cultures.

Ecorobotix

Blue River Technology was recently acquired by John  Deere. The company is building smart farm machines to manage crops at a plant-level. Their See & Spray system is using computer vision and artificial intelligence to allow their smart machines to detect, identify and make management decisions about every single plant in the field.

Blue River Technology

3D real-time perception for robots:

Roboception offers innovative solutions for navigation, real-time perception and manipulation for industrial robotic systems.

In agricultural robotics, the recording of dense stereo data is essential for plant recognition and navigation. Roboception provides 3D navigation without external infrastructure as well as the bridging of GPS dropouts by visual navigation.

Application scenarios:

  • Counting / Forecast of the harvest
  • Health analysis of plants
  • Precise weed identification and removal

Roboception