Robot farmers could be Dorset's future

Robot farmers could be the future if a trial in Dorset is successful.

The 5G Rural Dorset project is using robots to help increase each plants yield, and reduce the impact of farming on the environment.

The robots, Dick and Tom can do something human’s can’t; keep track of the wellbeing of every individual plant in a whole field of crops.

It’s thanks to the power of 5G technology which allows massive amounts of data to be handled wirelessly.

The 5G robotics trial aims to demonstrate a revolution in farming, increasing productivity, yields and biodiversity while simultaneously reducing environmental impact. Importantly, it also looks to improve soil health and reduce emissions, helping farmers meet the UK agriculture target of Net Zero by 2040.

Ben Scott-Robinson, CEO and co-founder, Small Robot Company said:

“This 5G blueprint could be a catalyst for rural economies - with our robots demonstrating the potential for 5G to transform agricultural productivity. Connectivity is not a luxury. It’s a utility. And vital to economic performance,

“5G technological development within agriculture is vital post-Brexit. One of the biggest obstacles facing UK farmers in adopting new technologies is poor connectivity around the farm. This 5G blueprint will pave the way for growth in the rural economy - and alongside it greatly-improved quality of life.”

The trials will be the first to demonstrate wide-scale autonomy of robotic farming operation, including the development of the UK’s first ‘5G-ready’ agri-robot; development of the first scalable, costed, ‘as a service’ agri-robot product; development of SRC’s first ‘ready-for-market’, ‘fit-for-purpose’ agri-robot; and development of SRC’s on-farm 5G-enabled robot ‘kennel’. The 5G-connected Robot Handler App also brings the potential of a remote operator seeing live data or taking live control of the robot.

The within-farm robot-to-kennel communications is fundamental to the real-time capabilities, as well as the farm itself being better connected.

The on-farm 5G-enabled robot ‘kennels’ will aim to process huge volumes of data from robots “on the fly,” exploiting the benefits of using higher frequency 5G spectrum and infrastructure so farmers can take more timely corrective action to maximise yields and minimise pesticide use – vital given the British weather!

Mike Donnachie, Farm Manager at Ranston Farms noted:

“Having precise and accurate data to hand so I can make instant decisions will bring great benefit into the future.”