New robotic dogs can help farmers increase profits

New robotic dogs can help farmers increase profits

Kyiv  •  UNN

 • 5618 views

Robotic dogs with gamma detectors are being tested in Cornwall to assess the quality of soil on farms. The 25,000-pound devices can operate on difficult terrain at speeds of up to 5 m/s.

In England, scientists are testing robotic dogs that assess soil quality. Farmers believe that the new development will help them increase their profits, UNN  reports with reference to the BBC.

In Cornwall, England, scientists are testing robotic dogs that could help farmers assess soil quality faster. The robots are equipped with a gamma radiation detector developed by a Cornish company to assess soil quality.

Farmer Malcolm Barrett, a tenant farmer from St. Tudy near Bodmin, is working with scientists from the University of Plymouth who are using a gamma ray detector mounted on a robotic dog to map the soil conditions in his fields. He says he believes the technology will allow him to test the soil faster and better, thereby increasing his profits.

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Traditional methods of soil testing are time-consuming and expensive. The robot dog was created by Jake Shaw-Sutton, a former student at Plymouth University and co-director of Robotriks, a robotics company in Parry.

Our latest challenge looks at and focuses on what happens to the soil, because it's often not fully considered, and it affects everything around it

- says the developer.

The robot dogs can also be used to explore hard-to-reach areas such as hills. The maximum speed of the robot is 5 meters per second, and it weighs about 15 kg.

The key advantage is that thanks to these legs, he can climb over really difficult terrain and on difficult surfaces.

- said Jake Shaw-Sutton.

A £25,000 gamma detector on a dog robot measures natural levels of radiation in the soil.Other more conventional-looking tank-tracked robots have also been brought into play.

Recall 

The U.S. Secret Service has deployed a robot patrolman nicknamed “Spot” to protect Mar-a-Lago. [The unmanned device can operate both remotely and along a programmed route.