[Tyler]

Robot, go Work Today in My Vinyard
     


Wines
& Vines reports on a prototype
grapevine pruning robot that could save vinyards time and money. The
artist's rendering above shows the robot with a tractor drive unit that
would
propel it as it prunes the vines using a 3D vision
system and multiple hydraulic pruning shears. Multiple images are
compiled to produce an internal 3D representation of the vine, to which
pruning rules are applied. The robot, developed by Vision Robotics, can work 24 hours
a day in any lighting. It is expected to prune at a rate of about four
and half hours per acre, costing vinyard owners $125 per acre, compared
to the $257 per acre they pay humans for the job. The current cost estimate
is $150,000 for the robot, which is expected to have a 10 year life
span.
   

http://robots.net/article/2785.html