A Farmer-Assistant Robot for Nitrogen Fertilizing Management of Greenhouse Crops Computers and Electronics in AgricultureJournal, June 2017 Product: Nitrogen Fertilization Robot Environmental Impact: Improve nitrogen fertilization efficiency in greenhouse crops Planetary Boundary: Biochemical Flows Keywords: Autonomous machine vision-based system, Nitrogen fertilizing management, Image processing, Image textural features, Biochemical flows, Chemical pollution, Ground robotics, Preventive solution Description: This autonomous robotic system was developed for precise nitrogen fertilization for greenhouse crops (e.g. tomatoes, lettuce, peppers). The system was tested using a machine vision-based scenario and was found to be able to decrease the crops’ nitrogen fertilizer consumption by about 18%.
Automated Robotic Assay of Phosphomonoesterase Activity in Soils Soil Science Society of America Journal, 01 March 2006 Product: Automated Testing Robot Environmental Impact: Monitoring and recording chemicals within the soil Planetary Boundary: Biochemical Flows Keywords: Zymark XP laboratory robotic system, Phosphomonoesterase measurement, Biochemical Flows, Ground robotics, Preventive solution Description: This study found that using a robotic system for measuring phosphomonoesterase activity in soils differing in physical and chemical characteristics was comparable in both accuracy and precision to manual procedures, yet the robotic system resulted in considerable savings in cost and labor.
Reducing Air Pollution with hybrid-powered Robotic Tractors for Precision Agriculture Biosystems Engineering Journal, March 2016 Product: Farming Assistant Robot Environmental Impact: Reduces carbon emissions from the farming process Planetary Boundary: Climate Change Keywords: Robotic tractor, Precision agriculture, Atmospheric emission, Atmospheric air pollution, Ground robotics, Preventive solution Description: The emissions from robotic tractors with a hybrid energy system for precision weed and pest control were compared with those from tractors with a combustion engine as a single power source. The hybrid energy system was designed by adapting the original energy systems of the tractors to reduce atmospheric pollution emissions. The results of the study found that the hybrid system reduced emissions by 50% in the best case.
Vision-Based Robotic System for On-Site Construction and Demolition Waste Sorting and Recycling Journal of Building Engineering, August 2020 Product: Waste Sorting Robot Environmental Impact: Makes the recycling process more efficient Planetary Boundary: N/A Keywords: Construction, and demolition waste (CDW), CDW management, CDW recycling, Waste Sorting, Soil pollution, landfills, Autonomous mobile robots, Ground robotics Description: Prototype pick-and-place system for sorting irregular construction and demolition waste (CDW) using “instance segmentation on uneven surfaces” and SLAM. This is a new solution for picking and sorting CDW, and it was proven to be effective and efficient through practical experiments.