Thanks to a new technology, agricultural robots may be getting a serious skill improvement in tending to crops.
SonicBoom, a sensing technology developed by the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, can help farming robots overcome the limitations of needing a camera to guide them.
According to the researchers, humans can reach through leaves and vines to identify fruits by touch. Robots generally cannot do this, but with sensing technology, they could get around the need to see the fruit, using the vibrational frequency of objects to sense what they are looking for.
"Even without a camera, this sensing technology could determine the 3D shape of things just by touching," said Moonyoung (Mark) Lee, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute.
The study, published in IEEE Robotics and Automation, demonstrates how robots can utilize contact microphones to sense audio vibrations on farms, getting around the issue of visibility or expensive tactile sensors.
The contact microphone technology that the researchers used can detect contact with a precision between 0.43 and 2.2 centimeters, the researchers noted.
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Once the robot learns the vibrations of something like a hard wooden branch, it can then learn other vibrational frequencies, such as those of softer fruit.
The study addresses a gap in the capabilities of agricultural robots, which have been gaining traction in the industry. According to Fortune Business Insights, the agricultural robot market was valued at $7.34 billion in 2024, and it should increase to around $26 billion in 2032.
Robots can perform a variety of tasks to help on a farm, including seeding, transplanting, harvesting, weeding, and monitoring plants.
Agricultural robots often excel in precision tasks. For example, robots are threatening a $37 billion chemical insecticide market. The weed-killing robot could lower the use of these chemicals by up to 90%.
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Rooftop panels 🏠 Pesticide chemicals can contaminate the soil and waterways near agricultural land. They also pose health risks to humans, including neurotoxicity and being carcinogenic.
An Italian robot can eliminate the need for chemical fungicides by zapping bad growths with UV rays. According to Electrek, this robot can reduce a farm's need for chemical fungicides by 70%.
Additionally, as farmers have to continue to grapple with the consequences of the changing climate, robots can help make farms more climate-resilient.
The research from CMU is still in its early stages, but the researchers are optimistic about its applications.
While the innovation was created with agriculture in mind, the researchers say that it could also have applications in other settings where visibility can be a challenge.
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