P R O C E S S I N G www.foodtechnology.co.nz 31 ARRIVED Robots never sleep, and this makes them ideal workers,” the engineering expert says. “They’ll do the menial work humans should no longer be expected to do. Increasingly, robots will be built to work in industries that struggle to maintain a full workforce.” The comments come after the NZ Agricultural Fieldays for 2017 saw the unveiling of Tauranga-based company Robotics Plus’ latest prototype of the Autonomous Mobile Multi-purpose Platform. The machine, developed by Dr Alistair Scarfe, is designed to reduce labour costs by providing an autonomous on-orchard harvesting system. Capable of driving around an orchard by itself, the AMMP - with the addition of detachable robotic arms - has sensing technology that makes it stop at the right place in the orchard and perform required tasks. Sensing systems, custom arms for harvesting or spraying systems can be interchanged without the need to build a whole new machine for each task, Duke says. The widespread introduction of robotics and smart machinery into New Zealand’s primary industries could save companies money, improve safety, quality and efficiency, he says. “Robots have been used for decades in automotive factories and, more recently, they’ve been introduced in horticultural pack houses. However, ‘in field’ robotics are more challenging because of the variability of the environment and products.” Duke says recent developments in computing power, algorithms and sensing, combined with advances in computer-aided design and manufacturing technologies, are resolving many of the problems. In future robots will be designed to do more than just harvest fruit and will perform other jobs such as pollination, weed spraying, thinning, transportation, quality control and pasture repair. Waikato engineering students supervised by Duke have worked with Scarfe on the functionality of the various robotic attachments, and Professor Bruce MacDonald at the University of Auckland is now focused on developing the sensing and software systems that will allow the robots to interact with and navigate their environment. This collaboration, along with input from Plant & Food Research, has gone a long way in ensuring the technology being developed is suitable for the environment it will be working in, Duke says. THEY HAVE It’s time to embrace the robot revolution in horticultural industries as the ability to harvest high-quality resilient crops will keep New Zealand at the top of its export game, University of Waikato Professor Mike Duke says. “
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