Based on the ideas of two young researchers from the University of Kassel and the Department of Plant Protection at the Julius Kun Institute (JKI) in Braunschweig, they developed an autonomous robot capable of detecting and destroying unsanitary snails on the ground and on plants.
Snails appeared on Earth about 600 million years ago, they are considered one of the most ancient inhabitants of the planet along with jellyfish.
Recently, snails have caused significant damage not only to horticultural crops, but also to fields. Two 300-watt battery-powered electric motors equipped with a 3D camera and halogen lamps pass through the designated area based on pre-programmed GPS coordinates. The robot camera works with several automatically alternating filters, choosing one of them in accordance with the lighting conditions in this area.
The robot processes images from the camera to identify the snails and determine their position.
The device detects and kills snails with an electric tilt pin in front, which moves on a 2-meter guide rail. The surface is corrugated, spikes protrude against the spring. This prevents dirt from sticking to the spikes and is easily removed from them in the event of contamination. At the same time, the device considers snails destroyed and can record their position on the map, which is important for analyzing the degree of infection.
- If your home garden is attacked by snails and slugs, pay attention to some tips from experienced farmers who managed to drive hordes of uninvited mollusks from their gardens.
- In the village of Velikie Gulyaki, Kiev region, a snail farm of Alexei Antonkov is working. The company grows the species Helix aspersa muller and Helix aspersa maxima, which are most valued abroad. The farm exports its products to European countries.
- To date, 10 large companies and dozens of small farmers are engaged in the industrial cultivation of edible snails in Ukraine. Most of them have been in this business for 3-5 years. They send about 90% of their products for export.
