KANSROO
Improving the productivity of small-scale, multi-variety farmers.
In a collaboration between Design Factory Melbourne, Kyoto Institute of Technology and Japan-based company Yanmar, a team of students were challenged to find solutions to common issues faced by farmers which could maximise their productivity. They developed Kansroo, an autonomous robot which collects data on crops and farming conditions, enabling farmers to make informed farming decisions.
THE TEAM
THE PARTNER
Japanese engineering company Yanmar’s core business sits in the development of diesel engines, agricultural machinery, power generation, construction equipment and marine vessels. Recognising that the future is shifting to renewable technologies and to electric powered systems Yanmar are looking further into the complexities of their individual markets to identify new product opportunities in order to stay competitive.
CHALLENGE
To identify problems that small-scale multi-variety farmers’ experience, and develop an innovative user-centred solution that reduces pain points to ensure efficient farming practices and maximise farmers’ productivity.
SOLUTION
The team created Kansroo, an autonomous mobile field robot that monitors and analyses crop health and farming conditions. The robot’s cameras and sensors can formulate digestible information for farmers and present it via an application. This application allows farmers to observe their crops, view informative data, schedule tasks, view weather forecasting, and check previous data to recognise patterns. This can enable farmers to visualise the effect of their farming actions on their crops. The precise data can empower farmers to make smarter farming decisions which may improve crop health and maximise yields.
