Dutch robot builder Odd.Bot is showing a new version of its Maverick weeding robot at the AgroTechniek Holland (ATH) fair in Biddinghuizen, held from 16 to 19 September. The updated machine carries a GPS system and a renewed control app.

The Maverick still finds its way along the ridges with a camera; that has not changed. GPS is used mainly as a check: the robot uses the signal to confirm that it has turned correctly on the headland and is heading in the right direction.

Users can now set two separate geofences. The first is the field boundary. The second tells the robot the area in which it must not turn. In the past the Maverick has lost sight of the crop, assumed it had reached the end of the field, and turned in the middle of the ridges; with the second fence it can check whether it has really reached the end or still has to carry on.

The app has been reworked around the same feature, with geofencing configured entirely from it. Adjusting the robot is easier too: the parameters of the working area can be set in the app, and a number of small changes have been made to improve ease of use.

The weeding units mounted under the Maverick work independently of the robot. Each has its own camera and control software and can be put to work as soon as it is connected to a 24-volt supply. Odd.Bot plans to sell the units separately to other manufacturers and says exploratory talks with other market parties are under way, though nothing concrete has been agreed yet.

Source: Future Farming