Latest news with #EAVision
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
China's new cotton topping robot fully automates laborious task at 10x speed
China has developed what is being touted as the 'world's first' laser-based cotton topping machine. With cotton picking being a manually laborious task, the new machine—which is an autonomous robot—is seen as a critical step toward making cotton farming fully mechanized. Jointly developed by Xinjiang University and EAVision Robotic Technologies (EAVision), the system utilizes lasers, lidar, and AI to accomplish its task more efficiently and accurately than human labor or traditional machines. EAVision is a Chinese company that exports its agricultural drone products to various countries, including Japan, Turkey, Brazil, Indonesia and Thailand. According to the team behind the robot, cotton topping was the last significant step in the farming cycle that couldn't be fully automated. The machine is currently undergoing field testing in Changji, Xinjiang, China's largest cotton-producing region. Cotton topping is the process of removing the top bud from the plant. This helps redirect nutrients to the plant's side branches, rather than allowing it to grow taller. Doing this in frequent intervals helps the plant produce more cotton buds and boosts yield. Not only is this labor-intensive, but humans pickers tend to miss buds or even damage the plant. The process can also only really be performed during the day when visibility is best. To help overcome some of these issues, this new robot uses a high-powered blue laser to vaporize the top bud without physical contact. This is a more precise and effective method that helps reduce plant stress and damage. The robot also uses lidar (like in self-driving cars) and machine vision, which help improve its terminal bud 'detection' by 98.9%. Incredibly, the machine can also operate even when plants are swaying in the wind. During testing, the device was able to top plants successfully over 82% of the time. Being autonomous, the robot can process between 0.4 and 0.53 hectares per hour, which is roughly 10 times faster than manual labor. The robot does not use any chemicals (such as herbicides) and can continue working day or night, regardless of the weather. The development of the robot took three years of research, during which the team integrated sensor technology, machine vision, and laser control to tailor the device to Xinjiang's dense farming pattern, ensuring stability in dynamic environments, the article stated. "Compared to mechanical or chemical topping, lasers minimise plant stress, eliminate herbicide use, and allow round-the-clock operation," said Zhou Jianping from Xinjiang University who lead the scientific team. The machine contains the potential to transform cotton farming not just in China, but worldwide. To this end, it could also serve as a blueprint for similar smart farming innovations in crops such as rice and soy. "The successful development and application of this laser-topping robot signifies that China's cotton production is about to achieve true full mechanisation," explained Pei Xinmin from Xinjiang Agricultural University. "This is a prime example of artificial intelligence empowering smart farming. It not only promotes the upgrading of Xinjiang's cotton industry, but also provides replicable and scalable technological models for global agriculture," Pei added.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Science
- South China Morning Post
China's cotton topping robot promises fully automated production of Xinjiang crop
China has unveiled the world's first laser topping robot, overcoming a major hurdle in cotton's laborious cultivation cycle to achieve the quest for fully mechanised cotton production , according to its developer. Advertisement Cotton topping involves removing the plant's top bud to redirect nutrients towards lateral branches, boosting boll formation and yield – a process that has long been plagued by inefficiency, inaccuracy and crop damage. The laser topping robot was jointly developed by Xinjiang University and EAVision Robotic Technologies, a company that exports its agricultural drone products to various countries, including Japan, Turkey, Brazil, Indonesia and Thailand. The robot, which made its debut in the city of Changji in the autonomous region of Xinjiang, is in the pilot test phase, with commercial availability expected to be still some years away. It resembles a mobile canopy and uses advanced solid-state lidar – or light detection and ranging – and machine vision systems to identify the terminal cotton bud and vaporise it with a burst of heat delivered by a high-powered blue laser – all without touching the plant. Advertisement Because the plants are different heights and also sway in the wind, Xinjiang University's Zhou Jianping, who led the development team, described the operation as 'like hitting a moving target with a moving gun'. 'The robot achieves 98.9 per cent accuracy in bud detection, with under 3 per cent plant damage, and over 82 per cent topping success,' he told the official Xinjiang Daily newspaper.
