Dinetec 2024 – Meta launches world’s first autonomous soil collection robot

The world's first autonomous soil collection robot was one of the major highlights at Dinetec 2024.

As presented by Meta Group, the Armadillo can perform various tasks, including identifying threats such as nematodes.

These soil worms have become one of the significant threats to Brazilian agriculture in recent years, and part of the difficulties arise from the challenging identification of the presence of the pest.

Data from the Brazilian Nematology Society (SBN) indicated that the presence of nematodes in the field causes losses of around BRL35 billion per year, with soybeans being the most affected crop, accounting for approximately half of the losses, around BRL16 billion.

Equipped with radars, sensors, satellite connectivity, and NFC chip for data collection from samples, the Armadillo automates the data collection process, quantifies soil compaction at different depths, and can extract soil from the exact location as the previous year, as well as clean the soil for collection.

The autonomous robot was announced as a significant ally to optimize monitoring and pesticide application for nematode control.

Among other vital functions, the Meta Group's launch also assists in the precise use of nutrients and moisture retention.

According to the manufacturer, the Armadillo enters the market with the "ability to provide accurate and fast data, an essential tool for producers and their teams."

Meta Agritech CEO Fernando Faoro explained that the equipment has other advantages, such as temperature and humidity sensors, an online data processing and interpretation platform, and the standardization of operations, in addition to operating 24 hours a day.

"It is a technology eagerly awaited by companies that provide soil collection services, as they will be able to offer a more agile and efficient service to their clients," he emphasized.

According to him, the Armadillo is expected to enter the Brazilian market as early as April 2024.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)