Grain lab on a robot: Autonomous, miniaturised and high-precision in-situ measurement of advanced grain parameters

Cereal grains are the basis of staple food, yet post-harvest losses during long-term storage are exceptionally high, above 20% in the UK and worldwide. Pests are to blame, with grain moisture content and temperature being the most significant factors. Cereal storage sites such as farms, grain merchants, millers and breweries, experience these challenges, which have high cost implications in terms of lost revenue and cost to rectify.

The scope of this feasibility study is to develop a novel non-contact sensor for non-contact grain analysis able to detect specific molecular compounds within a radius of up to a few tens of centimetres, based on a novel miniaturised sensing technology, and to integrate it onto the ever-improving CROVER robot, the world's first 'underground drone', which fluently 'swims' grain bulks and which is at the core of the CROVER autonomous Grain Storage Management system.

This will allow for the potential readings that go far beyond the typical grain storage safety parameter (humidity and temperature, which we will still provide). During the project, we will focus on some of the most prominent variables of grain storage and grain quality: proteins and mycotoxins.

Down the line, the result of this project is expected to allow for the expansion of the parameters that we will be able to measure, including specific nutrients (amino-acid composition, fatty acid composition and FFAs presence and quantity and - particularly relevant for oilseeds), or insect presence and species identification (including at eggs and larval stages) aligned with different customer requirements.

The rationale for this project is aligned with the arable sector (and of the whole grain value chain) need for novel and alternative crop protection solutions, in support of the current push toward holistic Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches.