Project AREA-H

Funded by the UK government’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) through the Farming Futures Automation and Robotics competition which targets ambitious solutions for robotics and automation in England’s agriculture and horticulture. The funding is part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK’s Transforming Food Production Challenge. Project no.10073332

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Project Description: 

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Led by Antobot, the project Accelerating Robotics and Embedding Autonomy in Horticulture (AREA-H) brings together a unique collaboration of world-first collaboration between Dogtooth Technologies, producing state-of-the-art fruit-picking robots, Loughborough University, experts in autonomous robotics, Haygrove Ltd, leading provider of horticulture infrastructure including field-scale commercial poly-tunnels, and Clock House Farm Ltd, pioneering British soft-fruit growers.  

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A horticulture-specific robotics and support system will be co-developed, providing robust navigation using low-cost sensors with interoperability for robot-fleets; increased safety alongside human workers; and integration with existing and new infrastructure to future-proof horticulture businesses and ensure compatibility.  

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Current status: In Progress