Improved crop storage intelligence is now on the way, following the launch of a grain burrowing robot.
The t-shaped device ‘swims’ through grain bulks to provide insight into the environmental conditions of stored cereal crops. The aim is to reduce the need for labour-intensive manual spear sampling.
It achieves this through in-built moisture and temperature sensors, using two dome-shaped wheels to propel through grain or other material. Data is then transmitted to a dashboard for improved understanding of the grain’s condition.
Saving time
Agri-tech developer, Crover, is behind the innovation. “In practice, grain storage operators are advised to sample bulk stacks at every 50cm intervals. The reality is that, if done manually, someone could spend the best part of a week carrying out a single store check depending on the size of their crop load,” says managing director, Lorenzo Conti.
“The device is designed to be controlled from one spot and saves the operator many hours of work as well as improving accuracy. The robot can ‘swim’ through the grain quickly generating a 3D map of temperature and moisture across the stack,” he adds.
According to Lorenzo, this’ll help farmers to make informed decisions regarding aspects such as ventilation or pest control.
National Robotarium
Crover recently took up residency at the National Robotarium in Edinburgh – a new £22.4M research facility opened last year. Informed by sector needs, the facility works with partners around the globe to define, develop and resolve industry challenges through the application of robotics and AI.
“It’s fantastic to see that farming and food and drink-boosting innovations like Crover’s new ‘grain-surfing’ robot will benefit from being part of the National Robotarium,” says UK Government minister for Scotland, Malcolm Offord.
Learn more about Crover’s robot in this feature from July 2022’s CPM.
