AgriRobotics Unleashed (ARU)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Lincoln
Department Name: Lincoln Inst for Agri-Food Technology
Abstract
Agri-Robotics Unleashed (ARU) is a whole systems approach that drives soft fruit sustainable productivity by integrating robotic harvesting solutions into greenhouse design and novel canopy architectures. Robotics has the potential to disrupt the agricultural sector by decreasing running costs, reducing dependence on seasonal workers, and improving resource (yield, energy, labour, inputs) efficiency. However, early deployments in glasshouses have revealed challenges that are more daunting and complex than initially expected. As a result, there has been limited introduction of robotics in commercial agricultural facilities.
Limitations arise from both growers lacking a comprehensive understanding of the potential and constraints of robots, as well as roboticists working with weak agri-system assumptions. To drive innovation and productivity within the sector, it is imperative to rethink the integration of advanced robotics into whole protected cropping systems. We need to design next generation greenhouses from the bottom up, integrating robotics into robo-centric designs, rather than retrofitting suboptimal solutions into otherwise human-centric environments.
Robo-centric designs can exploit the wasted space encountered in human-centric systems (e.g. paths) as well as vertical cropping arrays that increase light interception and plant density. Our ARU proposal aims to unlock these transformational synergies between the crop and robotic technology; we will explore how yield, labour productivity, resource efficiency and crop quality can be stepped changed by robot-centric canopy architectures (vertically and horizontally) that increase light interception. However, this vision requires (i) fundamental research to redesign harvesting systems by taking into account crop scientists, roboticists and farmers requirements (ii) improved understanding of crop responses (in this instance strawberries) to light and shade when grown at high density in robot-centric vertical and horizontal architectures and (iii) the digitisation of robot-crop interactions to facilitate and optimise designs.
ARU outputs will be;
A novel design protocol to optimise robo-centric protected cropping designs (use case strawberries). This will use robotic simulators based on physics engines (e.g. Gazebo) complemented with 3D models of strawberry grown in horizontal or vertical arrays.
An understanding of how the crop might respond to different robo-centric designs, including primary effects of novel canopy architectures.
World's first demonstration of an optimised robot and crop design in a commercial greenhouse, with robots picking strawberry fruit.
An extensive two-year experimental and validation phase in research and commercial greenhouses will generate data that will demonstrate a ground-breaking approach to resource optimization, increased yield, improved crop quality, and precise crop management in protected environments. The solid data-informed conclusions, co-created with leading farmers, will highlight the transformative potential of integrating robotics in protected crop environments. Whilst the target crop is strawberry, our approach will be ultimately extendable to any protected crops that require selective harvesting by robotics. ARU lays the foundation for robot-centric protected cropping system design.
Limitations arise from both growers lacking a comprehensive understanding of the potential and constraints of robots, as well as roboticists working with weak agri-system assumptions. To drive innovation and productivity within the sector, it is imperative to rethink the integration of advanced robotics into whole protected cropping systems. We need to design next generation greenhouses from the bottom up, integrating robotics into robo-centric designs, rather than retrofitting suboptimal solutions into otherwise human-centric environments.
Robo-centric designs can exploit the wasted space encountered in human-centric systems (e.g. paths) as well as vertical cropping arrays that increase light interception and plant density. Our ARU proposal aims to unlock these transformational synergies between the crop and robotic technology; we will explore how yield, labour productivity, resource efficiency and crop quality can be stepped changed by robot-centric canopy architectures (vertically and horizontally) that increase light interception. However, this vision requires (i) fundamental research to redesign harvesting systems by taking into account crop scientists, roboticists and farmers requirements (ii) improved understanding of crop responses (in this instance strawberries) to light and shade when grown at high density in robot-centric vertical and horizontal architectures and (iii) the digitisation of robot-crop interactions to facilitate and optimise designs.
ARU outputs will be;
A novel design protocol to optimise robo-centric protected cropping designs (use case strawberries). This will use robotic simulators based on physics engines (e.g. Gazebo) complemented with 3D models of strawberry grown in horizontal or vertical arrays.
An understanding of how the crop might respond to different robo-centric designs, including primary effects of novel canopy architectures.
World's first demonstration of an optimised robot and crop design in a commercial greenhouse, with robots picking strawberry fruit.
An extensive two-year experimental and validation phase in research and commercial greenhouses will generate data that will demonstrate a ground-breaking approach to resource optimization, increased yield, improved crop quality, and precise crop management in protected environments. The solid data-informed conclusions, co-created with leading farmers, will highlight the transformative potential of integrating robotics in protected crop environments. Whilst the target crop is strawberry, our approach will be ultimately extendable to any protected crops that require selective harvesting by robotics. ARU lays the foundation for robot-centric protected cropping system design.
