00:00 C.U.’s
abstracts of “robots”
Exterior,
University of Warwick International Manufacturing Centre
C.U.
IMC sign
Interior,
Dr Ken Young walks through shot
Guide Voice: There are some new sounds in the
modern world of agriculture, where the usual cacophony of farmyard
noise could be replaced by the soft hiss of hydraulics and the
faint hum of electricity.
At the University of Warwick, situated in the West Midlands, at
the heart of the UK, scientists in the Warwick Manufacturing Group
are working on a number of robotic and automation projects that
could change the face of modern farming.
00:39 SOT: Dr Ken Young, Warwick Manufacturing
Group, University of
Warwick – “There’s a number
of reasons why robotics are used in any industry. Obviously one of
them is to try and remove the high cost of labour but there are
many other advantages as well. One is that it will do a job very
repetitively and very much the same every time, so you can get some
huge quality improvements in a number of areas. Also, obviously,
one of the advantages with robotics in agriculture is it can work
24 hours a day – it can often work when there’s no
light, which can be a big factor with certain crops."
01:20 Mushrooms
placed under robot picker
Researcher,
Jim Rowley, at computer
C.U.
mushrooms and picker arm
Reverse
of above, mushroom moved to punnet
Wide,
robot mushroom picker in operation
Guide Voice: A perfect example of this is the
farming of Mushrooms - a delicate crop reared under difficult
conditions.
Now a robot mushroom picker, developed by researchers at
Warwick, can identify mushrooms at their optimum picking size;
using a charged coupled camera to spot and select only mushrooms of
the exact size required for picking. The mushrooms are delicately
picked using a suction cap on the end of a robotic arm, which
transfers the mushroom to a waiting tray.
Currently the picking speed is just over half that achieved by a
human – but this speed will increase and the robot can be set
to pick 24 hours a day without the need for any break, ensuring
that the mushrooms are always picked at their optimum size to meet
consumer requirements.
Such developments are not designed to replace human workers in
the agricultural and horticultural industries – these robots
are about maximising efficiency in an industry where quality of
labour is in short supply.
02:19 SOT: Dr. Young -
“Hopefully there are benefits in that we can keep more of
the industry that produces our food in this country and therefore
we can get it to market quicker so that it becomes a fresher
product. But also if we can get the handling right then we should
be able to design it so we’re doing less damage in harvesting
it so again you’re getting a better quality
product."
02:45 Wide
researcher, John Oliver, & robot cutter in Laboratory
C.U.
researcher writing on computer tablet
Wide,
researcher and grass cutter
C.U.
putting down computer, picking up remote control
Wide
– researcher steers unit out of Lab using remote
control
Wide
– researcher and cutter in field
C.U.
finger flicking switch from remote to laptop control
GVs
Researcher watching cutter in field on robotic control
Wide
– portable conveyor being laid out
C.U.
conveyor belt being clipped together
C.U.
conveyor being inflated
Wide
– boxes of vegetable on conveyor
C.U.
of above
Guide Voice. Another example of increased
efficiency is this grass cutter. For anyone with a garden, mowing
the lawn is a boring necessity - but for farmers with large tracts
of pastureland it’s a major problem - requiring a skilled
employee for every tractor unit in use.
Scientists in the Warwick Manufacturing Group are developing a
new system that will allow a farmer, or anyone who needs to cut
large areas of grassland, to deploy multiple robotic cutting
machines at the same time, all under the supervision of a single
employee. They’ve replaced the remote control unit of a
“Ransomes Spider” grass cutter with a computer that
will programme and control groups of cutters, taking the hard work
out of mowing large areas of grassland.
Teaming up with scientists at Warwick HRI, the
University’s Horticultural arm, which was also involved in
the development of the Mushroom Picker, the Warwick Manufacturing
Group have helped to develop an inflatable conveyor belt for
agricultural machinery company “Aeropick” (patent
applied for) – this compact and easily manoeuvrable system
helps to speed crops to storage, ensuring the very best quality and
maximising crop profits.
Projects like this show the practical value of the
University’s research.
04:01 SOT: Tony Botsman, Director, Aeropick
Ltd.- “Warwick University and the Warwick
Manufacturing Group have been a key part of the design and
development of the system over the last 18 months. They’ve
also introduced us to some funding opportunities both of which have
had a direct influence and benefit on the development of this
system.”
04:17 C.U.
Leeks being prepared for conveyor
Wide
of above
Guide Voice. The conveyor system can be
installed in an open field or covered growing area allowing crops
to be processed at high speed while still in the field.
04:28 SOT: Dr Rosemary
Collier, Research Scientist, Warwick HRI - “It
will benefit the farmers by making the whole system more efficient;
there are certain situations, for example in wet muddy fields,
where they’ll be able to go in and harvest their crops when
they wouldn’t otherwise. As far as consumers are concerned
they’ll get better quality produce and it will be
fresher.”
04:50 GVs
Robotic Mushroom picker
GVs
Robotic Cutter in field
Guide Voice. This robotic revolution is
something that should come as a welcome change to an industry with
more than its fair share of drudgery. For agriculture and
horticulture, robotics can mean increased efficiencies that benefit
both the grower and the consumer.
05:00 End
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