PHOTOS: MATT MCINTOSH
FIRST PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE ▶▶▶
RoamIO autonomous robot improves employee efficiency
BY MATT MCINTOSH S
mall autonomous technologies are being used to improve work efficiency at Haggerty Creek Ltd., a grain eleva- tor and farm service provider in
Southwestern Ontario. Already the owner of a Dot Power Platform, operations manager Chuck Baresich says the company’s new invest- ment in a RoamIO autonomous robot is specif- ically intended to help employees accomplish more in less time. “We wanted this robot be- cause every year we have a range of small mo- notonous tasks that just don’t get done,” says Baresich. “My vision is that RoamIO will be- come a partner to our employees and thus in- crease the productivity of staff. It takes some skill to operate, so it’s augmenting skilled workers’ ability to get things done.” The unit currently employed at Haggerty Creek – one of two currently in use, and the only one working commercially – is actually manufac- turer Korechi’s main prototype, which is used for demonstrations and further research. Ba- resich is due to receive a larger version (five feet by 45 inches in size), though shipping is- sues have delayed final construction. Even with the larger size, Baresich says his larger machine will still be small enough to fit in the back of most pickup trucks. This means that no special licenses are required to transport it and so more people will be able to use it.
Soil scanning and cover crop app Unlike some autonomous farm equipment, RoamIO exists as an entirely separate machine – i.e. it’s not built for a specific purpose. This is what originally attracted Baresich to the de- sign, since he saw the opportunity to augment it with a wide range of implements. These could be separately added, removed and con- trolled. In March this year, for example, Ba- resich attached a seed hopper to the RoamIO prototype in order to apply clover as a cover crop. Uniform dispersal and complete cover- age of 50 acres (450 pounds) was achieved in
50
Ontario ag-service company Haggerty Creek uses a small adaptable robot to complete time-consuming tasks.
six hours using a spreading distance of 40 feet. Some initial challenges were resolved with slight modifications, and there were no issues with the muddy terrain. Now Haggerty Creek are using RoamIO for soil testing and analysis. This is done by at- taching a SoilOptix soil sensor camera to the robot. “Soil sampling is a tedious task and it takes a while. It involves taking strategic core samples, as well as very consistent, slow driv- ing to ensure that the optical sensor works properly. Inconsistent speeds skew the data. Instead of doing 250 acres a day when we send someone out to the field, we should now be able to do 400 or 500,” says Baresich. “It could also be used for weed and brush control. We need to make sure that pathways
alongside the field stay open by having them sprayed a couple of times a year. We have to be very vigilant about resistant weeds. A small sprayer tank and a six-foot swath is all you would need.” In the long term Baresich says they also hope to employ RoamIO in disease and pest scout- ing, as well as fertiliser application. Ideally, they will eventually acquire an additional unit. “We had acres this spring that just didn’t get done,” he says. “Say we charge $ 20 to $ 25 an acre for soil optical analysis work – we will be doubling that output.”
Cost and further refinement Baresich’s expected larger unit has a price tag of $ 75,000. Baresch says he has “been assured” a
The cost of Korechi’s prototype RoamIO has not yet been fixed since it continues to undergo changes.
▶ FUTURE FARMING | 20 November 2020
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