Researchers at University of New England’s SMART Farm will work with AI experts from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), NSW DPI scientists, and industry partners including Agent Oriented Software (AOS), Monaro Farms and Treasury Estate Wines, on a new CRC-P project to develop robotic weeding platform ‘Kelpie’.
Kelpie will use tailor-made algorithms to discern ‘bad’ green biomass (weeds) from ‘good’ (pasture), then eradicate individual weeds, either via spot spraying or digging.
UNE’s networked SMART Farms will be used for development, testing and research into technologies for plant identification. A UNE-based PhD student and an engineer, tasked with addressing the challenge of recognising weeds as Kelpie approaches, will also work on the project. Queensland University of Technology will contribute specific expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) software. NSW DPI’s library of thousands of images of weeds and grasses taken during Kelpie’s development will be made available after the fact as a research resource. Robotics firm Agent Oriented Software (AOS) is the project’s industry lead.
Practical advantages of robotic weeding
According to AOS managing director Dr Andrew Lucas, the Kelpie offers farmers several practical advantages.
“The Kelpie platform doesn’t require a human to operate it, so it reduces labour costs; its selective action avoids the collateral damage to pasture that occurs with boom spraying, and it minimises chemical use,” Dr Lucas told the Armidale Express.
“As a bonus, the Kelpie will photograph and record the variety and positions of the weeds, providing the farmer with a ‘weed map’ allowing annual assessment of control efforts and providing verification of weed control measures taken.
“The Kelpie will also assess pasture quality, to provide a feed quality map that interprets the effect of weeds on productivity,” Dr Lucas said.
“The Kelpie will be based upon a proven agricultural robotics platform, capable of withstanding Australian agricultural conditions, and incorporate the latest sensors. The aim is to have the first pre-production Kelpies in the field in 2022.”
What’s the benefit?
“Weed management in crops is well advanced, partly because crops are grown in regular patterns,” Project bid team leader and UNE’s Director of Strategic Research Initiatives, Associate Professor David Miron explained to the Armidale Express.
“In grazing situations, weeds occur randomly. In these environments, we still have to deal with weeds manually, which is often not time- or cost-effective.
“The Kelpie project draws on the extraordinary developments we have seen in robotics, remote sensing and AI over the past few years, and puts them together in a package that we hope will completely change the economics of managing weeds outside cropping environments.”
Project nuts and bolts
The ‘Kelpie’ Cooperative Research Centres Project (CRC-P) was one of 10 that netted Federal funding in the latest CRC-P round.
Officially titled ‘Novel autonomous robotic weed control to maximise agricultural productivity’, is valued at more than $8 million including partner contributions from AOS’s commercialisation arm LF Autonomous Agriculture; Monaro Farming Systems; Treasury Wine Estates, which will support the project’s development for vineyard use; and NSW DPI.
Five Kelpie systems will be trialled on Monaro’s farms and at Treasury Wine Estates.
Source: Federal Government announces $2.9 million in funding for autonomous robot to help manage weeds I Armidale Express
pie’ Cooperative Research Centres Project (CRC-P) was one of 10 that netted Federal funding in the latest CRC-P round.
Officially titled ‘Novel autonomous robotic weed control to maximise agricultural productivity’, is valued at more than $8 million including partner contributions from AOS’s commercialisation arm LF Autonomous Agriculture; Monaro Farming Systems; Treasury Wine Estates, which will support the project’s development for vineyard use; and NSW DPI.
Five Kelpie systems will be trialled on Monaro farms and Treasury Wine Estates.
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Source: Federal Government announces $2.9 million in funding for autonomous robot to help manage weeds https://www.armidaleexpress.com.au/story/6859166/robot-to-revolutionise-weed-control/ I Armidale Express