Hero Image Abb Robotics Amazon Reforestation Pilot World S Most Remote Robot Helps Amazon Jungle Reforestation Project 6491fbf3e23ae

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How can robotics and cloud technology reverse deforestation?

June 20, 2023

A pilot project between ABB Robotics and Junglekeepers is using a collaborative robot to automate seed planting in the Amazon

Combining technology and conservation, ABB Robotics and Junglekeepers, a non-profit organization, are using a remote robot to automate a reforestation project in the Amazon. Using solar power, YuMi automates seed planting, and ABB’s collaborative robot is operated remotely with the use of cloud technology.

ABB Robotics is supporting Junglekeepers in its mission to protect 55,000 acres of Amazon rainforest and reverse deforestation. ABB’s cobot YuMi is working in a jungle laboratory, automating the planting process and refocusing volunteers’ time and resources to patrolling the area to deter illegal loggers, educating locals on the preservation of the rainforest and planting mature saplings.

Figure 1: ABB’s collaborative robot YuMi is working with non-profit Junglekeepers in the Amazon to automate seed planting.

In the jungle lab, located in a remote region of the Peruvian Amazon, a YuMi cobot digs a hole in the soil, drops the seed in, compacts the soil on top and marks it with a color-coded tag (Figure 1). The cobot plants 640 seed bags per morning during the pilot program. YuMi enables Junglekeepers to replant an area the size of two soccer fields every day (Figure 2).

From 12,000 kilometers away in Sweden, ABB uses its RobotStudio cloud technology to remotely simulate, refine and deploy the programming for YuMi’s tasks. Creating a fully remote and autonomous cobot installation also overcomes the difficulty of finding people willing to stay and work in the distant jungle location, ABB said. After its initial installation, YuMi can carry out its tasks autonomously, only trouble shooting as needed.

Figure 2: The YuMi cobot plants 640 seed bags per morning during the pilot program. YuMi enables Junglekeepers to replant an area the size of two soccer fields every day.

“As of right now, we have lost 20% of the total area of Amazon rainforest; without using technology today, conservation will be at a standstill,” said Moshin Kazmi, co-founder of Junglekeepers. “Having Yumi at our base is a great way to expose our rangers to new ways of doing things. It accelerates and expands our operations and advances our mission.”

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

“The Amazon is in danger. That’s 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 ABB Robotics’ pilot project in the Amazon also furthers its objective in contributing to sustainable transformation through intelligent robotics and automation solutions, supporting businesses to increase productivity, reduce waste and maximize efficiency. The pilot project with YuMi will last for approximately six weeks (from May to June 2023). Following the conclusion of the pilot program, ABB will explore opportunities to assist Junglekeepers on a more extended basis as well as exploring further opportunities for its robotic solutions and cloud technologies to play a central role in driving sustainable transformation.