KFAST (Kubota Fede Autonomous Spraying Expertise) is an autonomous sprayer idea for speciality crops designed to fulfill EU laws and goals of the Inexperienced Deal.
The KFAST robotic idea, collectively developed by Kubota and Fede, autonomously applies phytosanitary therapies and affords the choice of remote-control steerage. Its structural design and newly developed 4×4 traction guarantee easy motion, exact turning, and correct positioning within the narrowest rows of specialty crop fields. This massive-capacity autonomous sprayer might be outfitted with numerous air programs to fulfill the particular necessities of various plantations.
Ongoing therapies are monitored and displayed on the Specialty Crops Platform (SCP), Fede’s digital agronomic administration device. As well as, KFAST sends alerts in case of incident or parameter out of vary, together with the detection of empty spraying and diesel tank to autonomously return to the station for refilling. As soon as the therapy is accomplished, all the information is registered, offering actual traceability and required data to generate the digital farm guide.
KFAST will considerably enhance the productiveness and effectivity of labor within the plantation, since a single operator can handle 4 robots at a time and permits to hold out night-time duties. With goals to be an answer to the shortage of labour downside, as effectively and the generational renewal, within the agricultural sector. Moreover, it improves the occupational security and well being by eliminating the dangers of accidents and drastically decreasing occupational publicity to pesticides.
As soon as the work order is obtained, Fede’s autonomous sprayer idea goes to the assigned row to begin the therapy. KFAST, outfitted with the AIs system, an revolutionary expertise that performs high-precision therapies via picture seize and AI processing. The robotic adapts the spraying in actual time with individualised management of the nozzles to regulate the appliance tree by tree whereas sustaining a relentless strain and utility stream in every open nozzle with a homogeneous distribution and deposition of the therapy.
KFAST idea stands out for its outstanding discount in pesticide use and soil degradation, each key goals within the EU Inexperienced Deal. The system registers financial savings in using pesticides of as much as 40%, in line with the sphere checks outcomes carried out throughout the Life-AIs venture, which enhance considerably when finishing up therapies based mostly on the prescription of variable utility maps (VRA). On the identical time, it relieves soil compaction by transferring solely 4 wheels all the time following the identical axis, decreasing the variety of tons supported by the soil and minimising displacements.
Moreover, the symptoms generated by KFAST picture seize supply up to date knowledge on the state of the plantation, helpful data that can be utilized by third events to supply their agronomic companies. KFAST is distinguished for being an open system that permits the combination a variety of service suppliers corresponding to pest detection, yield prediction, farm administration data programs, amongst others.
The KFAST idea, Kubota Fede Autonomous Spraying Expertise, has been awarded as Technical Novelty at FIMA 2024, a worldwide benchmark occasion within the agricultural equipment sector for specialty crops.
