为确保植物以理想的状态生长，在苗圃或园艺中心，重达 10 kg 的盆栽需要每天定期移动和重新摆放。这是一项艰巨而费力的工作。颇具远见的法国 Instar Robotics 公司的 Pierre Delarboulas 和 Adrien Jauffret 为此带来了转机。他们的自主机器人“Trooper”负责搬运盆栽，为园艺行业的自动化做出了贡献。3D 激光雷达 MRS1000 能够在恶劣环境中确保准确导航和环境监测。
Instar Robotics 是一家年轻的初创公司，由 Pierre Delarboulas 和 Adrien Jauffret 于 2018 年创立。两位科学工作者均拥有人工智能和机器人技术的博士学位，并且很久以前就对机器人技术产生了兴趣。他们的理想是：让实用的机器人技术为人们的日常生活提供支持，让人们重新专注于自己的职业。
公司创始人从小就有从事农业工作的愿望。该行业尤其给机器人技术带来了众多技术挑战。户外应用的条件丰富多样，而且不断变化（环境、天气、土壤...）。因此，必须开发出适应性强、灵活可靠的机器人。
经过广泛的研究，两位科学家发现园艺行业和盆栽搬运是一项以人工为主、重复性强、体力消耗大的工作。此外，这些工作通常由季节工完成，由于条件艰苦，这些工人越来越难找。因此，所有先决条件均已具备，可以开发一种能够减轻工人劳动强度的机器人解决方案。
苗圃中有两项工作对植物的品质尤为重要：将植物摆放得更近或更远。前者适用于种植初期，目的是优化可用空间。在准备阶段和上盆期间，要将花盆“呈长方形”彼此相邻地“放在大厅地板上”，以促进最初的生长阶段。一段时间后，这些花盆会被单独运到苗圃的不同位置。这样既能让植物茁壮成长，又能防止疾病传播。有些苗圃占地数百公顷，要运送 10 万多个最重可达 10 kg 的花盆。可想而知，这种高度重复性的工作将从自动化解决方案中受益匪浅。
因此，很有必要开发一种小型自主机器人来帮助园艺师和苗圃公司将花盆从公司内部的 A 处运送到 B 处，以及将它们靠近或分开——Trooper 由此诞生。
环境感知是最早出现的问题之一。机器人必须能够：
因此，3D 激光雷达成为理想之选——最终，Instar Robotics 选择了多层扫描激光雷达 MRS1000。
MRS1000 是一种多层扫描激光雷达，Pierre Delarboulas 将其形容为“Trooper 的眼睛”。它能生成点云，提供与物体之间的距离用于计算路线，还可以建立形状模型以重建物体。Instar Robotics 公司开发的算法通过搜索由点云和激光雷达四个扫描层重建的圆（即花盆）来识别物体。
传感器还能直接确定物体的反射，以便根据物体的颜色进行更好的区分。这就提高了机器人的反应灵活性：它能做出更好的决策，并与环境进行适当的互动。
MRS1000 的性能是项目成功的关键因素之一。它可以在 275° 的视野范围内探测和测量物体。通过在四个不同的平面上同时进行测量，MRS1000 能够对物体进行详细检测并跟踪其移动方向。坚固耐用的外壳防尘、耐热、防潮。得益于 HDDM+ 技术，即使在雾天或强光下也特别可靠和高效，满足 Instar Robotics 的所有要求。
The horticulturalists agree: “There’s before the Tropper, and there’s after the Trooper,” says Pierre Delarboulas. There was a glaring lack of workers in this sector, in particular due to the strenuous work of placing the pots closer together or further apart. Thanks to the robot, the employees are now relieved from this task and have more time and peace to dedicate themselves to more demanding and motivating tasks.
The project also paid off in regard to productivity. The robot is never tired, works in any weather, and places the pots in the optimal location. This saves up to 15% of the working area in the nurseries.
It takes about four to five years to amortize the investment in a Trooper, depending on the machine utilization rate. This is a relatively short time for an investment in the agricultural sector.
These are the words of Pierre Delarboulas regarding the various SICK teams in France. The Trooper was incrementally designed and continuously improved in collaboration with SICK. For example, the sensor was initially very vulnerable to external conditions (rain, earth) due to its position on the robot. It needed to be shielded with a customized hood. After an investigation by the SICK team, the most compact protection was designed in order to achieve an even better performance. The collaboration was very fulfilling for both parties.
There is no lack of ideas for new products. Three new tools are currently being developed to extend the capabilities of the Trooper and address the issue of a labor shortage in the horticultural industry:
We use cookies to optimize our web pages for you, to continuously improve them, and to offer you information that is tailored to your interests. By clicking the “Accept all cookies” button you consent to the use of cookies. You can select which cookies you want to allow by clicking the “Show settings for cookies” button. For further information, please see our privacy policy.
