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Ca’ Bolani puts vineyard robot to the test
Friulano estate Ca’ Bolani has been the testing site of Slopehelper, a cutting edge agriculture robot that could break new ground in the field of viticulture.
Ca’ Bolani, part of the Zonin1821 portfolio, has been trialling the potentially revolutionary technology across its 570 hectares of vineyards as part of its practice of “precision farming”.
The Slopehelper robot was developed by Slovenian electric vehicle manufacturer PeK Automotive, part of Peker Holding. Mounted on caterpillar tracks and run entirely on electricity, it can operating for eight to 14 hours at a time, and is capable of working over a range of terrains and in a range of weather conditions. As the name suggests, it is well-suited to inclines, and can tackle slopes of up to 42°.
Furthermore, the machine does not require a good internet connection or GPS to function, instead using inbuilt radar systems and artificial intelligence algorithms to scan the environment. It is also connected to the TeroAir mobile app, through which the user can receive notifications about Slopehelper’s performance progress, and any obstacles it may have faced.
Slopehelper has two key functions: mulching and mowing. In both cases, the user is required to stay relatively nearby to give commands.
The humans behind the creation of the robot estimate that it can reduce the labour required in the field/vineyard by up to 90%.
Speaking on his perspective on the outcome of the tests, Ca’ Bolani winemaker and director Roberto Marcolini told db: “For me and for the team at Ca’ Bolani, it is a great pleasure to open the doors of the estate to welcome cutting-edge companies that trial and develop technological innovations aimed at sustainable development.”
“The interdisciplinary discussions, sharing of experiences between the operators working in the sector and the technical tests among the vineyards are fundamental to continue interpreting the culture of wine as well as its technologies and move it towards new horizons. Slopehelper is definitely an innovative robot that can help improve vineyard management from a sustainable perspective,” Marcolini concluded.
Such technology could become increasingly commonplace in the agriculture sector as a whole. ‘Agri-robotic’ prototypes that are capable of picking everything from asparagus to strawberries have been created, a development that could make up for a shortfall of pickers in the UK as a result of Brexit.
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