BT has collaborated on delivering a robotics platform and management system as part of the Innovate UK-funded Robot Highways project.

Led by Saga Robotics, alongside BT, University of Lincoln, Berry Gardens Growers Ltd, Clock House Farm, University of Reading, and the Manufacturing Technology Centre, BT said the project aims to explore the use of Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics technology in smart agriculture to drive automation, increase efficiency, and improve environmental sustainability.

BT and partners said the project has presented a demonstrable vision of the future of soft fruit farming, where robotics, powered exclusively by renewable energy sources, will assist farmers by carrying out essential, energy intensive, physical farm processes.

These include picking and packing fruit, as well as treating crops to reduce common pests and diseases.

The consortium said that by bringing together robotics and IoT, the project has shown how key agricultural processes can be improved through better forecasting accuracy, increasing farm productivity, reducing farm labour and reducing fruit waste and fungicide use.

John Davies, chief researcher, BT, said: “We’re delighted to be part of the Robot Highways project to demonstrate how BT can help the agricultural sector to automate by integrating robotics and other solutions on a single platform.”

He added: “As a leader in network-based platforms and edge-infrastructure we are ideally placed to support advanced robotic farming operations.”

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