This new field robot developed by a Turkish cotton farmer is fully electric, fully autonomous, and could harvest as much as 20% more cotton from existing farms.
The Afara’s inventor claims that between 5 and 20% of cotton yields are left on the plants after the conventional self-propelled harvesters have left the field. Due to limitations “baked into” existing farm equipment, the plant density of the farms, and other factors, the only way left to harvest that leftover cotton is by hand – a grueling, labor-intensive, and expensive process.
Because of the costs involved and general shortage of farm labor, that cotton often ends up left in the field. The Afra’s inventor apparently took a good look at all that wasted cotton and thought, “there’s got to be a better way!”
That “better way” is the Afra, a fully electric cotton pick robot…