The number of orchard and vineyard workers in Europe may be set to drastically decline in the near future if the Cäser “fruit robot” becomes popular. Cäser is a small, totally autonomous robot designed specifically to perform typical orchard and vineyard chores. And the significance of this machine hitting the market stretches well beyond just interesting orchard operators. All farmers may want to take notice, because Cäser’s market introduction is an important milestone. It pushes the idea of employing self-contained field robots in all agriculture sectors another step forward.

Developed by a consortium of private firms and the Technical University of Dresden, Germany, along with funding from the European Union and Germany’s Free State of Saxony, Cäser is being introduced to the marketplace by Raussendorf Machine and Equipment Manufacturing. But it comes with a hefty 85,000 Euro price tag (about $122,400).

"It’s completely autonomous said Dr. Klaus Weidig, business manager for Raussendorf, speaking in German. “It’s now available for sale. But it’s only available in Europe.” Although he acknowledged the company might consider shipping to an overseas buyer if asked.

Guided by GPS with an RTK correction signal, Cäser can make its way along a predetermined path through an orchard or vineyard performing a variety of tasks, such as fertilizing, tillage or grounds care and transporting. The little robot has four-wheel steering and is equipped with a PTO drive and hitch linkage, which enables it to use some standard implements. Under the hood, Cäser has a 65 horsepower Kubota engine.

If Cäser encounters an unexpected obstruction, it has an emergency stop feature built in. For safety reasons, after encountering an obstacle it must be manually restarted. The company recommends any staff working in the area should receive special training to ensure Cäser isn’t a hazard to them, and they don’t interfere with its operation.

It also has an impressive load capacity, capable of hauling up to 2,500 kilograms. The robot’s flat top is designed to carry standard-sized orchard crates of fruit or grapes, moving up to four loaded ones at a time. “It loads itself, then unloads the crates onto a special receiving platform,” said Weidig. It can carry up to 15 empty crates and position them at predetermined spots.

This robot is equipped with PTO drive and a hitch, which makes it possible to attach some standard field implement. The onboard computer also maintains a continuous radio link between Cäser and a base station or other mobile communication device, reporting its location and operating status so a manager can constantly monitor it.

Japanese machinery maker builds ride-able ambulant 'land walker' robot

There’s probably nothing that will come close getting you near your anime dreams - think Gundam and Macross, and more recently, Pacific Rim - than to be inside the cockpit and holding the controls of a fully ambulant giant robot and walking around with several tons of robotic machinery under you. That’s probably what will happen if you see machinery manufacturer Sakakibara Machinery Works’ gigantic “Landwalker” robot at Chiba Prefecture’s Wonder Festival.

The Landwalker, as it is called by Sakakibara, is an 11-foot robotic behemoth made of metal that one can actually ride and control and move around in. The driver rides the mecha in a cockpit complete with controls and foot pedals. And as robot geeks and nerds go, the controls are actually intuitive - 12 civilians who were at the Wonder Festival were able to have a go at the Landwalker and immediately were able to figure out the controls with very little assistance from the manufacturers and engineers. The staff just briefed the would-be mecha drivers for a few minutes, but really, in no time at all, they were driving the big robot around the assigned space.

The Landwaker is not really a “walker”, because the question really is how the robot would keep its balance once one foot is taken off the floor. Sakakibara resolved that issue by placing wheels under the Landwalker’s feet, making it more like a land “slider” than a true-blue walker. But really, when you can ride a mecha that moves around, who cares whether it technically walks or slides?

[http://en.twwtn.com/Agriculture/54_60171.html]