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AGV robots robots in agriculture1/29/2024 ![]() ![]() It was difficult to automate the entire harvesting process by using robot technology alone. After observing in-house logistics systems using mechanical devices, a new mechanical device for replacing boxes was created using a single motor. The energy available on farms is limited compared to factories, so we focused on developing mechanical devices that work efficiently with minimal energy consumption and eliminating wasted power. Let me explain how we carried out automation. It is also necessary to help farmers understand and cooperate. Nevertheless, automation is about more than simply using technology. We hope to apply the technologies we have developed to agriculture wherever possible. Our factories have been improved over many years. An optimal return on investment must be taken into account, and so it is necessary to assess the level of automation required. It may not be most effective to introduce many robots for automation. On-site workers improve manufacturing sites by repeatedly carrying out kaizen and making proposals. To automate things, it is necessary to arrange products with shapes that are easy to assemble and manufacture. When we showed our manufacturing sites, they said things like, “We want a new model of automated agriculture like DENSO’s factories!” However, it was not easy to develop such manufacturing sites, and we conducted much trial and error. In terms of automating indoor cultivation and greenhouse cultivation, we asked farmers about the type of automation and robots they wanted. How Did We Develop Agricultural Support Robots? We considered how to make agriculture more attractive by using robot technology extensively in indoor cultivation. We had already developed and released the Profarm Controller to control the environment of indoor cultivation, as shown on this slide. We decided to support agriculture by using in-vehicle air-conditioning control technology. We analyzed the scope in which we could contribute to agriculture. We wanted to develop technologies to make agriculture sustainable. The global population is still growing and is expected to lead to food shortages. We also looked at ways to free workers from heavy, hazardous labor, including working at heights, which are unavoidable in agriculture. We considered the possibility of solving the labor shortage, which requires employing part-timers, by creating new value. Managers told us that the workload changes greatly each month, making it difficult to provide stable employment and recruit part-timers.įor example, when a supermarket opens up in a community, it pays high wages and employs all part-timers available. To avoid this situation, young people need to take up farming. The percentage of old farmers is very high, and many farmers are likely to give up every year. This graph shows the changes in agricultural population. The division was later renamed the Food Value Chain Business Development Div., and that’s where I currently work.īefore looking at how robotics can be used to assist agriculture, let’s take a look at the challenges faced by agriculture in Japan. In 2018, I was transferred to the Agritech Business Development Div., which specializes in agriculture. Today, I will mainly talk about this part of my career. In 2014, I started to work on developing robots for supporting agriculture in the Technology Planning Div. I was in charge of robots from the start of my career, so I designed production lines based on my experience in developing elemental technologies for robots until 2013. I was in charge of designing our production lines at factories as a production engineer. I joined DENSO in 2002 because I was interested in manufacturing. Honestly, if you were to ask me whether I’m interested in vehicles, I would have to admit that I’m not (laughter). I was really interested in manufacturing, so I decided to major in mechanical engineering. I majored in mechanical engineering at university, and studied robot control and production system engineering.Īs a child, I watched robot anime shows and wanted to know the unknown through these robots. Project Manager, FVC Business Strategy Dept, Food Value Chain Business Development Div., DENSO CorporationĪyako Iwai: Today, I will talk about the application of industrial robots in new business fields, agriculture in particular. gave a presentation on robotics technology that supports agriculture. The theme was “Challenging the Development of Human Support Robots.” Ayako Iwai of the Food Value Chain Business Development Div. On December 2, 2020, DENSO Tech Links Tokyo #9, an event organized by DENSO Corporation, was held as a webinar. ![]()
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