Adama and SwarmFarm collaborate to develop robot applicators

Date:04-22-2016

Adama Agricultural Solutions recently announced that it has partnered with SwarmFarm Robotics, a young, innovative Australian technology company, in a joint development program aimed at bringing autonomous robotics to the field of crop protection.

SwarmFarm has developed the world’s first “swarming” robots, which work in groups to perform key agricultural tasks such as the application of crop protection products and fertilizers, as well as irrigation and harvesting, more accurately and efficiently than large farm machinery. The precision of these lightweight, small robots encourages environmental sustainability and allows farmers to reduce their costs – both of labor and of crop inputs.

As part of the collaboration, Adama and SwarmFarm will work together to develop new, simplified solutions around resistant weeds, labor, application timing and efficacy, using Adama’s unique crop protection products applied by the SwarmFarm platform.

The “swarms” of robots developed by SwarmFarm are autonomous and communicate with each other in a way that prevents collisions, allowing the robots to work simultaneously throughout the field. This technology also enables the robots to detect each other and know which part of the field has already been assessed and sprayed. The robots’ small size was designed to prevent soil compaction and to adjust to any scale of farming.
The Swarm robot technology was recently launched in Australia after being in development for the last five years, with plans to roll it out globally.

Alex Mills, Digital Innovation Manager at Adama Australia, said “We are excited to partner with SwarmFarm to develop new and innovative solutions for accuracy and efficiency in crop protection. We believe that the combination of SwarmFarm’s cutting-edge robotics technology with Adama’s portfolio of unique solutions has the potential to impact the farming industry and deliver greater simplicity to farmers all around the world.”