Fortitude Valley’s Universal Field Robots is currently developing a robotic machinery that could possibly be a game-changing technology in agriculture.
Jeff Sterling, the founder of Universal Field Robots, was particularly interested in developing robots that can work in an outdoor setting as the use of autonomous machines in factories increased.
The company’s first project is a robotic avocado picker capable of identifying ripe fruits and can harvest avocados as fast as manual picking. The selling factor of this autonomous robot is its ability to operate 24 hours a day without the added costs in labour.
The Universal Field Robots team exhibited their autonomous robots in the recently concluded International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) which happened in 21-25 May 2018.
Credit: Intech Engineers/Youtube
Not only that, their website proudly announces that they are “…already working with avocado farmers to define the needs for the product in this space. Industry applications include: weed control, pruning, fruit picking and mowing.”
The robotic development is not commercially available yet but Mr Sterling was confident that their product will soon be available on a commercial level.
Apart from their horticultural devices, Universal Field Robots’ innovative solutions also cater to the forestry, construction, mining, and solar farm supports. For more information visit their official website or follow them on Twitter for updates on their latest innovations.