Scientists are experimenting with robot dogs in Cornwall to aid farmers in quickly assessing soil health. The device has a gamma ray detector, developed by robotics firm Robotriks, which is mounted on the robot dog to assess soil quality. Farmer Malcolm Barrett and scientists from the University of Plymouth are testing the robot dog’s effectiveness in mapping soil health in his fields, with the hope that the technology could help reduce artificial additives if detected. The robot dog can calculate levels of naturally occurring radiation in the soil and climb difficult terrain with ease.
Former University of Plymouth student Jake Shaw-Sutton, co-director of Robotriks, explained that the robot is ideal to explore hard-to-reach places such as hills and hedgerows. He added that the “key advantage” compared to traditional soil assessment methods is speed and cost effectiveness. The technology is faster and more reliable than conventional soil sampling, for example, analyzing five areas of a field with a trowel. Waiting for results from a laboratory is problematic as the service would likely be expensive.
The future plan for the robot dog is to allow farmers to make informed-decisions about the land they work on. Will Blake, the trial leader from the University of Plymouth, stated that “the ultimate goal is to provide a map of soil properties that are relevant to the farmer and his decision-making,” while also being cost-effective.
The robot was developed by co-director of Robotriks Shaw-Sutton, weighing around 15kg [33lb] and reaching a top speed of five metres [16ft] a second, and offers a unique solution to help farmers improve soil health and reduce unnecessary artificial additives
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