Dextrous Robotic Manipulation for Automated Potato Planting

The Jersey Farmers' Union is an association which was formed with the aim of the advancement of agriculture and to represent agriculturists in Jersey. The agriculture industry produces 30k-40k tonnes of Jersey Royal new potatoes annually in the Island of Jersey, and up to 1000 tonnes are exported daily out of the island. The industry faces a considerable technological challenge in the planting of their main product, Jersey Royal new potatoes, because of the lack of labourers and the increase of wages, but the automation of the processes is nontrivial due to the difficult physical environmental conditions on sites as well as the cost constraints.

This project aims to tackle the challenges by carrying our the research of robotic manipulation for the automation of potato planting on Jersey Farms. Technologies for low-cost rapid handling of seed potatoes from the storage to soil will be explored in this project. Some low-cost articulated robotic arms equipped with grasping end-effectors will be developed and tested with the reasonable speed, accuracy, and reliability. We will also explore the minimalistic solutions for locomotion platform, such that the planting platform can be mobilised. The autonomous navigation of platform is not going to be the main target of this project as it would significantly extend the deployment cost, but to find a feasible solution based on existing solutions e.g. extension of existing tractors, or low-cost mobile robot platforms. The locomotion platform will be integrated to the sensing and manipulation component above.

The proposed CDT provides a unique vision of advanced RAS technologies embedded throughout the food supply chain, training the next generation of specialists and leaders in agri-food robotics and providing the underpinning research for the next generation of food production systems. These systems in turn will support the sustainable intensification of food production, the national agri-food industry, the environment, food quality and health.

RAS technologies are transforming global industries, creating new business opportunities and driving productivity across multiple sectors. The Agri-Food sector is the largest manufacturing sector of the UK and global economy. The UK food chain has a GVA of £108bn and employs 3.6m people. It is fundamentally challenged by global population growth, demographic changes, political pressures affecting migration and environmental impacts. In addition, agriculture has the lowest productivity of all industrial sectors (ONS, 2017). However, many RAS technologies are in their infancy - developing them within the agri-food sector will deliver impact but also provide a challenging environment that will significantly push the state of art in the underpinning RAS science. Although the opportunity for RAS is widely acknowledged, a shortage of trained engineers and specialists has limited the delivery of impact. This directly addresses this need and will produce the largest global cohort of RAS specialists in Agri-Food.

The impacts are multiple and include;

1) Impact on RAS technology. The Agri-Food sector provides an ideal test bed to develop multiple technologies that will have application in many industrial sectors and research domains. These include new approaches to autonomy and navigation in field environments; complex picking, grasping and manipulation; and novel applications of machine learning and AI in critical and essential sectors of the world economy.

2) Economic Impact. In the UK alone the Made Smarter Review (2017) estimates that automation and RAS will create £183bn of GVA over the next decade, £58bn of which from increased technology exports and reshoring of manufacturing. Expected impacts within Agri-Food are demonstrated by the £3.0M of industry support including the world largest agricultural engineering company (John Deere), the multinational Syngenta, one of the world's largest robotics manufacturers (ABB), the UK's largest farming company owned by James Dyson (one of the largest private investors in robotics), the UK's largest salads and fruit producer plus multiple SME RAS companies. These partners recognise the potential and need for RAS (see NFU and IAgrE Letters of Support).

3) Societal impact. Following the EU referendum, there is significant uncertainty that seasonal labour employed in the sector will be available going forwards, while the demographics of an aging population further limits the supply of manual labour. We see robotic automation as a means of performing onerous and difficult jobs in adverse environments, while advancing the UK skills base, enabling human jobs to move up the value chain and attracting skilled workers and graduates to Agri-Food.

4) Diversity impact. Gender under-representation is also a concern across the computer science, engineering and technology sectors, with only 15% of undergraduates being female. Through engagement with the EPSRC ASPIRE (Advanced Strategic Platform for Inclusive Research Environments) programme, AgriFoRwArdS will become an exemplar CDT with an EDI impact framework that is transferable to other CDTs.

5) Environmental Impact. The Agri-food sector uses 13% of UK carbon emissions and 70% of fresh water, while diffuse pollution from fertilisers and pesticides creates environmental damage. RAS technology, such as robotic weeders and field robots with advanced sensors, will enable a paradigm shift in precision agriculture that will sustainably intensify production while minimising environmental impacts.