Seedlings Planting Robot Wins Red Dot Award Design Contest

Anna-Karin Bergkvist’s environment-friendly, seedlings-planting robot has won the Red Dot award design contest and is likely to be deployed in Sweden by 2030.

The steam-driven robot is completely automated and it features an adaptable seed planting arm and a soil-friendly feet. It has been exclusively designed to eliminate the tough task of tree planting. While preparing a planting area, the robot utilizes steam to remove the unnecessary foliage.

The robot includes a hydraulic system for utilizing water and replacing oil. The robot can also be driven by means of forest ravage products like wood flakes or pellets. Saplings are stored at the robot’s back and are supplied into the planting head’s rotating cartridge. The planting arm of the robot stretches forward to bury the saplings around the robot. The robot plants the seedlings with a protecting blockade developed from eco-friendly plastic for securing the seedlings from insects without utilizing any harmful insecticides.

The robot features GPS, internal maps based on laser scanner information and sensors for effectively moving along the planting location. Its navigation is pre-programmed by including its virtual forest software with a specific path and boundaries.

Source: http://www.red-dot.de