Australian scientists have tested a robot for weeding plants

On the field of company Gatton in Australia tested a prototype robot for the treatment of plants against insects, weeding and removal of foreign materials.

A robot named RIPPA (Robot for Intelligent Perception and Precision Application robot for intelligent perception and precise operation) with by means of sensors detects the weeds, and foreign objects caught in a given sector of the field. The device weighs 250 pounds and operates from a solar panels.

Professor Salah Sukkari, Director of innovation and research Center field robotics at the University of Sydney said that in addition to all the robot can also use collected during the passage of the field information to estimate total harvest, and also has the ability to make fertilizer.

Robot RIPPA was developed 6 months ago and passed the first field the trial at Gatton, where he had to meet new types of soil and new cultures of plants. During the test the robot in real time passed all the collected information on computer University scientists.

Thanks to a set of sensors and a smart algorithm RIPPA already knows to distinguish the weeds from the cultural, and also to find a foreign materials - stones, pieces of glass or metal. Subsequent developments scientists will give him the opportunity to remove weeds and foreign materials.

Organization of Horticulture Innovation Australia, has commissioned the development of the robot on the funds industry participants and the Australian government. From the point the view of the organization, priority for manufacturers agricultural products of the country and for all members of the chain supply is safety of products for consumers.

"RIPPA we can have a look in the near future in which farmers be absolutely sure that no foreign matter has not slipped through through the system of control", - said the head of research and development Anthony Kachenko. - "It's great to watch how they grow the possibilities of this farmbot bot farmers. Now he can to evaluate the crop, spray the plants from weeds or to fertilize and runs continuously up to 21 hours. I am very pleased to know that such a device will become available to farmers in Australia within 5 years."

Co-owner of the farm Gatton Dan hood said, which immediately grabbed the opportunity to try the robot in his field as soon as I got it offer.

"Weeds very difficult to control and this process is very a lot of time, but if you do not suffer the quantity and quality harvest. Weeds can be weeded by hand, plow or the use of herbicides. All these methods are expensive. Nonetheless, it is difficult to find people with the right skills and patience required to perform such work. We hope that RIPPA would be this difficult tasks. This standalone system can work 24 hours a day and will or rather the person that will give us the opportunity to reduce the cost cultivation. I am very pleased to participate in this test robot," said the farmer.