Argentina's National Institute of Agricultural Technology has developed a new robot to improve the production in intensive greenhouse crops such as vegetables, aromatic plants and flowers.

Able to move, produce 3D maps, fertilise and even prune, the machine, developed by Ricardo Garro, robotics specialist at the National Institute of Agricultural Technology Anguil, is fully autonomous and offers great adaptability to any greenhouse design, allowing for an efficient management of the resources.

"It is a multi-purpose platform whose actions will depend on the functions assigned to it. It can adapt to a great number of needs and demands," explained Garro, who added, "The most noteworthy aspect is that we use free software, and thus, the knowledge is shared for free and can adapt to the reality of every environment." 

The machine is also built with free hardware, widely available to be used and implemented without any additional costs, which makes the manufacturing of the robots significantly cheaper, while able to provide the same functions as those created in other countries.

"A robot like this would cost around 250,000 US$ (184,000 €) in Germany, while this one can be developed with a much lower costs." To improve its functions even more, the entity is looking for strategic partners. 

Garro says that hecreated his robot thanks to his involvement with the artificial intelligence group of the German University of Bremen, a globally recognised research centre. 

Source: INTA