Robotic Cart Learns On-The-Go

Robotic Cart Learns On-The-Go COMPUTERS Burro the autonomous cart will not only follow you around it will also learn and repeat common tasks     “The Burro can learn routes and re-run them exactly ” says Charlie Andersen Augean Robotics “Most other systems use GPS with RTK base stations which are expensive but the only way to get millimeter accuracy We use a lower cost alternative ”     The Burro uses computer vision and deep learning This enables it to navigate safely inside a building such as a warehouse as well as under a thick canopy of vegetation     When activated and told to follow a person 2 cameras in front and one on the rear of the Burro identify not only the person but also the surroundings as it follows The combination of sensors and machine learning algorithms lock it onto its human maintaining a set distance behind him and stopping when he does     The current design is a 26-in high 2-WD 26 by 48-in chassis that can carry 300 lbs The 4-WD option can carry 450 lbs With a top speed of 5 mph its 2 lead-acid batteries give it a range of about 4 hrs or 15 to 20 miles     Initial uses of the Burro include travelling up and down vineyard orchard and berry rows Once it has learned a route it can repeat it picking up or delivering containers to pickers as it goes     Augean has tested it with a number of growers and in different situations including some of the largest fruit and nursery operations Andersen’s family’s 100-acre fruit and vegetable farm in Pennsylvania has been the firm’s testing grounds     “The Burro’s top speed is 5 mph ” notes Andersen “It also is not moving around crowded streets We feel safety is quite adequate for the environment we are in ”     Each path requires only a couple of gigabytes of storage in the on-board computer depending on how complicated the path is The current edition of the Burro has about a terabyte of storage available That may have to increase as the Burro takes on more complicated tasks     “The more it runs the more sophisticated it becomes ” says Andersen “We have started with a manageable useful and economical platform The only question from here is what do our customers want? It may be spraying spot spraying mowing sweeping or more ”     Andersen expects to have the Burro available for sale by mid 2019 with a price between $10 000 and $11 500 As production increases that cost is expected to go down In the meantime a pilot program will be placing Burros with interested growers at a per-day rate     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Augean Robotics 2025 Washington Ave Philadelphia Penn 19146 ph 610 247-9903; charlie@agrbt com; www augeanrobotics com

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.