Robots lead the way in 'making farming more efficient'
The team behind Ellie say the robot can save hundreds of staff hours each year - and potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds
Last updated 15th Feb 2024
Ultra manoeuvrable robot dogs are now being trialled on farms across the West Country.
They've been developed by Robotriks - which works in partnership with the University of Plymouth - and can test things like soil health and also help farmers make better long-term decisions about crops.
The robots cost around £1,000 each but are likely to be loaned to farms on a day rate - below the current £800 day rate for people to carry out tests, depending on the analysis taking place - rather than each farming owning an 'Ellie'.
At the moment tests are carried out by people and then sent to a lab for sampling - in a relatively long and expensive process - with Ellie aimed at smaller farms which don't have a large budget to help inform their decision making.
Robotriks, based in Parr in Cornwall, has also developed other robots for use in farms and can offer on-site testing facilities in the fields.
Founder Jake Gibson Shaw-Sutton said: "These aren't robots being tested in labs for some future which may or may not happen instead we're testing these out in the field - letting people beat them as they would a normal tractor - and many of our ideas comes from farmers. We're working with them collaboratively."
He says they've developed Ellie to ensure robots are useable on farms, adding: "Robots are great for large flat areas but when you get into hedgerows or trees suddenly it becomes a lot more difficult to be able to scan and capture all the environmental data there - and that's where Ellie and our little robot army at this point comes in."
Last year the National Farmers' Union in the South West told us they welcomed the increasing use of robots and even artificial intelligence in farming - which could help cut costs and address labour shortages.
Ellie was unveiled publicly yesterday at the Westpoint Rootstock event - a conference attended by leaders in the region looking at the future of farming. A spokesperson for the event said: "The future of farming in 2024 is more uncertain than it has been for generations. A changing climate, cost inflation, changes in government support and policies and social attitudes hostile to animal husbandry add to the age old challenges of markets and weather. Planning for long term and even short-term sustainable profitable farming is becoming harder."
They added: "Rootstock is a one day forward-looking conference for farmers in the South West, bringing farmers and researchers together to explore how farmers can build sustainable profitable businesses in tune with natural processes."