Afara Agricultural Technologies Inc., a Turkish company, has unveiled Afara-Cotton, an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) designed to streamline the cotton harvesting process.
Developed by computer engineer Ömer Muratlı, the son of a farmer, the Afara-Cotton robot aims to address the significant issue of cotton wastage during mechanical harvesting.
According to Afara, mechanical harvesters often leave behind five percent to 20% of cotton yields on the ground, resulting in valuable resources going to waste.
Afara-Cotton was designed to autonomously traverse fields, collecting cotton spilled on the ground after the mechanical harvesting process.
Equipped with four cameras, two lidar sensors, and ultrasonic sensors, the robot scans the ground for stray seed cotton, identifying and collecting it using AI-based perception technology.
The Afara-Cotton robot can reportedly clean up to two rows at a time while avoiding obstacles in its path.
Its developer has also said it can accumulate up to 200kg (440lbs) of cotton before needing to be emptied and that it can travel at speeds of up to 3.2 kph (2mph). With a single charge lasting up to six hours, the robot offers extended operational capability in the field, Afara added.
Afara Agricultural Technologies plans to offer the Afara-Cotton robot in a two-row model, priced between €120,000 to €130,000 (£101,613 to £110,233).
The company intends to target customers in Turkey and select European countries, providing them with a cost-effective solution to tackle cotton wastage in the harvesting process.
The introduction of Afara-Cotton represents a significant advancement in agricultural automation, promising to enhance efficiency and productivity in cotton harvesting operations, according to the company.
It is hoped the AMR will offers farmers a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution to optimise their yield.
