1.
AGRI-ROBOTICS
Simon Pearson
The University of Lincoln

2.
The Known,
Known’s…….
Fruit picking
1980…

3.
The Known,
Known’s…….
cauliflowers

4.
The Known, Unknown’s….
COVID-19
Brexit
Food security and cost

5.
How will labour shortages or changes to the labour supply impact your business over the next 12-18 months?
Key Messages
• Palpable concern from agri-sector
over next 3 to 6 months
• Seeking all solutions including
automation
• Anticipation that automation
mitigates impact in 12 to 18 months

6.
To achieve accelerated development of technology, what would you need?:
Key Messages
• Funding. Short term and fast track funding need for
innovation development, scale up and on farm
support.
• Engineers. Innovation sector requires access to
larger pools of skilled Engineers.
• Evaluation Sites. Tech companies require access to
test beds and evaluation sites at growers.
• Collaboration. Multiple participants seeking to
collaborate with others, within and between sectors
(tech and Agri).
• Scaling. Challenges to scaling, including access to
manufacturers and capital. Expertise on testing and
verification requested.

7.
Robotic
solutions are
key……

8.
The Unknown, Known’s….
• Accelerated Automation program
showed UK has multiple high TRL
robotic projects.
• Urgent need to support industrial
design and scaling
• Focus on robotics not the
“engineering”

9.
Thorvald platform example
Off the shelf
500W
brushless DC
motors
2 x 35Ah 48V
Batteries
200kg payload

10.
Unknown, unknowns…..
How long will
we keep using
“conventional”
tractors?
We need a
complete
rethink……