It uses the latest technology and artificial intelligence. It sows, weeds, sprays and dispenses crop protection products and fertilisers – all by itself. It recognises various plants and creates a crop map. Polski Robot, a Specialist in Maize Cultivation, Soon to Be on the Market
Polski Robot is a comprehensive tool for growing maize. It consists of three working modules: a precision point seeder, a sprayer, and a mechanical weeder combined with a selective fertiliser and crop protection product applicator. It was created by a consortium consisting of two institutes of the Łukasiewicz Research Network – the Poznań Institute of Technology and the Institute of Aviation – and Unia company.
What does the robot do?
Before the robot starts working in a field, the space needs to be measured accurately, so that the robot knows its working area and what limits it cannot cross. The work plan is uploaded to its computer and the robot is taken to the field. The robot is pretty big – 4.5 m long, 2.8 m wide, and 3 m high.
The first thing the robot does in the field is sow the maize. Its precision seeder is controlled by an Isobus-based computer. This allows the seeds to be sown with a very high degree of accuracy, and ensures that they have all been used.
Once the maize has germinated, the robot takes care of its safe and undisturbed growth. First of all, it weeds – both in rows and between them. To identify what is weed and what is maize, it uses cameras and learned artificial intelligence algorithms. It can also assess the degree of weed infestation. In addition to weeding, it selectively applies fertilisers and plant protection products. As it works, it creates a map of the fertiliser needs and soil mineral abundance, so it can adapt the fertiliser dose to the plant. The application of crop protection products can be combined with mechanical weeding.
When the maize reaches a height of 50-60 cm, it is no longer weeded mechanically. The robot then uses its sprayer module. It changes the track width, increases the height and, with an additional sprayer beam, can spray 15 rows of maize simultaneously.
It does all the work automatically, but it also has remote control option.
Advanced Technology
Polski Robot would not be as effective if it did not collect and process data at all times. It is equipped with a network of sensors – a variety of cameras and multispectral sensors – that provide it with information on, among other things, soil abundance and moisture, the condition of the plants, their fertiliser needs, and environmental data (e.g. temperature and humidity).
It also recognises obstacles. When, for example, an animal or a human appears in the field, it gives a light and sound signal. When this does not work – it stops and sends information to its operator.
When Will It Go to the Field?
This is the first such device on the Polish market. It took over three years to develop it. Polski Robot can be used on both large and small farms. it can be used on ecological farms, as well, since the robot allows for reduced doses of fertilisers and plant protection products.
- Polski Robot is an answer to the issue of shortage of agricultural labour, on the one hand, and the need to switch to more ecological forms of agricultural production, on the other. Farmers will need increasingly efficient tools that simultaneously reduce human effort, costs and, above all, the adverse impact on the environment. And that's what our robot is.
