A farming robot that can spray fields for weeds using a laser is being showcased at the Ploughing by the British Embassy.

“Norman” the ploughing robot is an autonomous precision scouting and spraying robot that has been engineered by Harper Adams University.

Demonstrations

Norman demonstrations and other exhibitions involving platooning, laser weeding and vision systems will take place at 10am, 12pm, 2pm and 4pm across all three days of the Ploughing.

Live demonstrations will take place at the UK Ireland agri-tech hub situated in Block 2, Row 20, Stand 442 on the site.

Functions of Norman

Norman is an autonomous tractor which can work either independently, with manned tractors or in a swarm of autonomous tractors. It can perform various tasks such as driving around to weed a crop in a field.

Fitted with on-board and remote sensor,s Norman can transfer information such as plant and livestock growth, crop pests, diseases, livestock behaviour and health back to the farmer’s base.

Ross-bots

'Ross-bots', also known as Harper Agricultural Scouting and Sensing Robots (HASSRs), are one of the many tools used by the university for research and development purposes.

A "Ross-bot" which is a 12-inch tall four-wheel drive vehicle can perform a variety of tasks.

Live demonstrations of Ross-bots will also be delivered by Harper Adams over the three days of the Ploughing.

These robots can sense soil conditions in a field and gather information about certain crops including their maturity, amount of weeds present, estimated potential yields of crops and mapping areas.

Ross-bots also have a WiFi antenna which can used to connect and communicate data with devices such as laptops and mobile devices providing the farmer with the most up-to-date information at all times.

Read more

Listen: new grass measuring technology at the Ploughing

Sustainability to be a key theme at the Ploughing

Hands-free hectare becomes hands-free farm

Watch: researchers working on robotic arable farm