Robot manoeuvres through bulk solids to provide data on storage conditions
Crops could be stored more efficiently by deploying a burrowing robot that manoeuvres through grain bulks to record and relay data on conditions within them.
Developed by Edinburgh-based Crover, the t-shaped robot has been designed to offer grain aggregators improved insight into the environmental conditions of grain crops stored in sheds or silos. Traditional processes for store checks, which rely on manual sampling with a spear, can be time consuming, labour intensive and potentially hazardous.
The device has in-built moisture and temperature sensors and uses two domed-shaped wheels to propel itself through grain or other material to generate a 3D map of temperature and moisture across the stack. It then feeds back analysis and data to a dashboard, giving users a more accurate understanding of the grain's condition.
According to Dr Lorenzo Conti, founder and managing director of Crover, the company has been working mostly with wheat, barley, and paddy rice and that the current version of the robot is best suited for flat storage, such as sheds and untarped bunkers.
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