Flinging Robot Tends to Grain Bins so Farmers Don't Have to
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A development from agricultural machinery manufacturer Grain Weevil is looking to take the burden of going inside granaries off of farmers’ hands. The company’s grain bin management robot is designed to engage the surface of the grain directly. It performs tasks that include breaking crusts, leveling, managing and mapping while loading grain, and feeding grain into augers while unloading.
Manually shoveling the crusts and bridges on the grain surface and pulling down grain that gathers on the walls can be difficult and dangerous. Farmers risk getting trapped and buried in the bin or getting caught while pushing removed grain into the auger. Additionally, they can develop lung disease from inhaling grain dust.
Grain Weevil used its mission of “no boots in the grain” and developed a robot that functions as a spreader, achieves maximized airflow uniformity, reduces labor cost, and lowers loss due to spoilage. The square-bodied robot measures about 20-by-20 inches, weighs approximately 50 pounds, and moves through grain via a pair of motorized augers. It can run its own movement patterns, but a human operator makes the critical decisions with remote control.
The robot also features a battery that reportedly provides up to two hours of use and can be charged in 20 minutes. One of the robot’s creators, Chad Johnson, told New Atlas that the robot operates about as quickly as a person with a shovel.
Grain Weevil hopes for the robot to achieve Level 2 autonomy by the summer's end, allowing it to perform tasks while a farmer supervises. Johnson said the company is on track for a soft release this fall but must still navigate the product safety regulations before a widespread release.
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