Addressing the shortage of manpower in agriculture by developing AI-based automated traveling robots. Applying lunar scouting technology to agricultural robots to save manpower for crop handling operations and collecting data on crops and soil through cameras and sensors that the robots run around the farms and analyzing the data for early detection of pests and diseases and understanding of crop yields. Robots are being developed to help apple growers harvest apples, improving the efficiency of farming operations and helping farmers cope with an aging population.
The advantage of the developed agricultural robot is that it applies various technologies utilized in the development of lunar exploration robots. Equipped with “SLAM” technology, which automatically creates maps of specific locations even without GPS, the robot can create maps of farms and select routes that are free of obstacles for transportation. In the future, it is said that by attaching accessories to the robot, the company will aim to automate a wide range of agricultural tasks, such as grass cutting and pesticide dispersal. Utilizing AI and image processing technologies, the company is working on the development of technologies that use data to indicate the optimal harvesting period for fruits and the optimal amount of pesticides and fertilizers. The company aims to commercialize the robot from around 2023, and in the future it will be used not only for apple farming but also for harvesting other fruit trees and vegetables, and will conduct user tests in a wide range of farms.