The world's first non-chemical weed control robot for cereal crops, manufactured by agricultural engineering start-up Small Robot Company, has successfully identified and controlled weeds in a field trial in Hampshire. The wheeled robot uses Delta-robot arm to position a "zapper" and deploy "lightning strikes" to kill weeds. The drylin® delta robot was chosen for its precision, cost-effective and lubrication-free technology. The weeding robot, called "Dick", works together with a monitoring robot, "Tom", to identify weed patches and kill individual plants with a zapper device.
The problem
Currently, chemicals are often used to kill weeds, for example by spraying herbicides over large areas. This is a costly waste with harmful effects on the environment. In addition, the soil is damaged by herbicides and soil compaction, which reduces crop yields. Automated weed control systems designed to kill weeds at the level of a single plant must not only be particularly precise. The components used must also be weatherproof to ensure that they can cope with wet mud and water splashes.
The solution:
The delta robot follows another monitoring robot, which uses artificial intelligence to scan the field for weed patches and thus define a path. The delta robot then manoeuvres the zapper into position with the help of an integrated motor and encoder, which is connected to the weed robot's master control system. The three drylin® delta robots attached to each robotic weeding system can destroy weeds simultaneously. This process with two robots working together with AI can also be used for spot spraying, spot fertilising or slug control, for example.
A key feature of the igus® components is that they are lubrication-free. Lubricated moving parts such as the belt drive and bearing would potentially become clogged with soil and water in a muddy field, but the polymers and parts of igus® are designed to withstand dry operation. The affordability, precision, durability and reliability of the drylin® delta robot are perfect for these and new agricultural applications, says the CEO of igus® UK, Matthew Aldridge. "Because the Delta is lightweight and cost-effective, it has opened up new possibilities for the use of these robots in mobile applications and demonstrated a new technology in a harsh outdoor environment.
