Robot manoeuvres through bulk solids to provide data on storage conditions

Developed by Edinburgh-based Crover, the t-shaped robot has been designed to offer grain aggregators improved insight into the environmental conditions of grain crops stored in sheds or silos. Traditional processes for store checks, which rely on manual sampling with a spear, can be time consuming, labour intensive and potentially hazardous.

The  device has in-built moisture and temperature sensors and uses two domed-shaped wheels to propel itself through grain or other material to generate a 3D map of temperature and moisture across the stack. It then feeds back analysis and data to a dashboard, giving users a more accurate understanding of the grain's condition.

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According to Dr Lorenzo Conti, founder and managing director of Crover, the company has been working mostly with wheat, barley, and paddy rice and that the current version of the robot is best suited for flat storage, such as sheds and untarped bunkers.

“The robot…has been tested and can be used in anything granular ranging from sand to cocoa beans, [to] minerals and chemical pellets. It is a robot suited for bulk solids and powders in general. We have some upcoming client projects in industries beyond agriculture.”

According to Crover, the robot can be integrated into existing monitoring systems or substitute them completely with minimal retrofitting. 

Crover typically deals with units storing upwards of 3,000 metric tonnes and Dr Conti added that the robot has a horizontal maximum range of 81m.

“The main limitation [now] is the depth that it can reach continuously, which is about 2m at the moment - stress-tested over 2,000 cycles - but we are working on increasing that,” he said.

The robot is tethered to prevent its loss in case of a malfunction and gathered data is sent to the Cloud for visualisation on a companion web app dubbed the SavingGrains dashboard.

“Data transfer is usually via mobile data - 2/3/4G - and we have some alternatives available in case of areas with low/no network coverage,” said Dr Conti.

The Edinburgh-based start-up, a new tenant at the National Robotarium, received funding for the robot from Innovate UK, Scottish Enterprise and private investors.