The Wall-Ye robot, the invention of Guy Julien and Christophe Millot, can travel freely around a vineyard and collect and record information about vines, including their location and health, courtesy of artificial intelligence. The robot also can replace humans for the labor-intensive tasks of pruning vines and de-suckering grapes. (Source: Wall-Ye)
Some how the juxtaposition of the the beautiful, tranquil vineyards with a high-tech looking robot is a bit jarring. However, I'll take whatever innovation possible to make sure that glass of wine is ready for dinner. On a serious note, it really seems like the robotics industry is turning a corner. You can't read anything these days (even mainstream news sites) without happening upon some new robotics invention that isn't aimed at high-tech applications like aerospace or the military, but rather plain old worker tasks like this one. Pretty exciting times.
Beth, this could have lots of other applications in agriculture as well. In many parts of the world it is harder to find workers who want to do this type of thing. With all the other mechanziation on the farm, I would expect farmers would welcome it.
Here in CA, several farmworkers died of heat stroke this year. it's dangerous work. Robots like these can help during extreme conditions but if it isn't cost effective, farmers won't buy in.
The research is great. I can't wait to hear the final conclusions when the project ends in 2014.
This harvesting robot is good and bad. Good in that it allows harvesting in most any kind of weather and/or conditions without risking humans. Bad in that it may take the place of people who could/would do that kind of work.
Elizabeth, what is the expected cost of this robot?
Good point, Naperlou. This is indeed the future of manual labor, which is why education will be so important for those laborers who could be displaced.
This is a great use of technology to help with a manual labor task. With the advances of tractor designs, a single farmer can harvest 100 acres in a few hours. This was unheard of in recent past. The ability of the robot to navigate rough terrain and harvest may bring this speed of harvest to vineyards as well.
it is pretty confirmed fact that ultimately robotos with advancement in AI techniques would take care of almost every field. helping the agri field is jus one of the example of it. but as far as robotic development is concern the high cost of the advanced sensory systems and power back up for a long run is a really a constrin.
I would consider the artificial intelligence involved in this robot to be quite advanced. It was my notion that a human would be needed for pruning and de-suckering a vine, as this is somewhat subjective to a vintner's experience. If this is accomplished robotically, I am impressed.
This continues to affirm my belief that automation and robots will continue to take over more and more of our repetitive manual labor tasks. Today, it is commonplace to use machines to check out at the grocery store or perform our ATM banking (displacing many grocery store clerks and bank tellers). Articles like this one and the robotic lawn mower point to the next generation of automation trends.
Computer-robotic technology is finally reaching the point where most repetitive and menial tasks no longer need human labor. Problem is - we do not have even an inkling of how to deal with it. Where are the social, political, educational and economic institutions that can make these incredible technological advances benefit the human race? So far, the vast riches that these advances have generated have simply mushroomed the divide between rich and poor, and now between rich and poor-middle class.
So far, those of us with good jobs are feeling great about technology, but there will come a time in the near future when we won't have to be doing our work either, and unless the democratic process and the free market system can adapt to this new reality, I see an unpleasant dystopian future.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New disc magnet motors fit into the design trend of stepping up to closed loop performance while maintaining the cost advantage of stepper motor technology.
At the Design News webinar on June 27, learn all about aluminum extrusion: designing the right shape so it costs the least, is simplest to manufacture, and best fits the application's structural requirements.
A new battery design, which replaces lithium with abundant and low-cost elemental sulfur, is still in its nascent stages but shows real promise for giving batteries more energy potential.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
2 
