Industrial Automation Magazine India

ABB Robotics demonstrates potential of robotics in reversing deforestation

Published on : Saturday 17-06-2023

Pilot project between ABB Robotics and non-profit organization Junglekeepers demonstrates the potential of robotics and Cloud technology in reversing deforestation.

June 2023 – ABB Robotics is supporting Junglekeepers in their mission to protect 55,000 acres of Amazon rainforest and reverse deforestation. In a first-of-its-kind demonstration, ABBs cobot YuMi is automating planting tasks in a jungle laboratory, speeding the process and allowing Junglekeepers volunteers to focus their valuable time and resources on more impactful work.

Through ABB RobotStudio Cloud technology, ABB experts simulate, refine and deploy the programming required for YuMis tasks in the jungle from 12,000 kms (7,460 miles) away Västerås, Sweden – enabling the worlds most remote robot.

The destruction of the Amazon rainforest through human activities such as logging and burning to clear land for agriculture are contributing to the devastating effects of climate change. It is estimated that more than 870,000 km² of the Amazon rainforest have been cleared since 1985, an area larger than France, United Kingdom and Belgium combined. With tens of billions of trees already being gone, the region is warming fast.

The Amazon is in danger. Thats why we need technology, science and local knowledge to work together in order to save it. Otherwise, we will be too late. The rainforest can be saved, but we must bring together all these elements to make a difference, said Dennis del Castillo Torres, Director of Forest Management Research at the Peruvian Amazon Research Institute. It is very important to have a combination of high technology and conservation. There are many technologies that we can use to preserve the forest, and this robot can help a lot to reforest faster, but we have to be very selective. We have to use it in areas of high deforestation to speed up the process of replanting.

The pilot project is supported by ABBs RobotStudio Cloud technology, enabling teams all over the world to collaborate in real time. This remote new way of programming enables new levels of flexibility and instant refinement, resulting in greater efficiency and resilience, and no loss of planting time. With more than 25 years of offline programming experience, RobotStudio offers best-in-class digital technology, enabling 99 percent accuracy between simulation and reality. This allows users to reduce time for testing robotic solutions by 50 percent and takes production downtimes to zero.