French Inventor Gives Demonstration of Robotic Grapevine Pruner
French inventor Christophe Millot recently demonstrated his amazing creation: the world's first robotic vineyard pruner.
The robot, called Wall-Ye, moves up and down vineyard rows. It's movements are directed by an iPad application controlled by a human, but the robot does the rest, according to The Columbian. The robot is the size of a lawnmower, and clippers in its "hand" make precise cuts, using three cameras which recognize woody material and guide each cut. On-board software records every cut from season to season.
"It can work 12 hours a day and never make a mistake,” said Millot, who on Monday used an iPad to control the robot’s movements. “I have sold 30 of these so far to winemaking clients in France."
The pruner is said to sell for about $30,000.
The demonstration was a preview for the upcoming Precision Farming Expo in McMinnville, OR.
Wall-Ye
