Project Tembo
A field robot developed in cooperation with NMBU and NIBIO,
supported by the Norwegian Research Council.
*Tembo: Kiswahili for elephant. The undisputed king of sniffers
Field Flux Robot 1
The Field Flux Robot 1 is designed for autonomous large scale field measurements. It is currently in operation and can be seen in action in the video link below the image gallery (right).
Field Flux Robot 1 has the following features:
- Aluminium and fiberglass body/chassis (total robot weight appx. 350 kg)
- Large, weatherproof ventilated and insulated on-platform chamber with ample 230VAC and 12VDC available for various instrumentation. Mounting hole matrix (M8).
- Minimalistic 3-wheel setup (2 driven tractor wheels in front and 1 trailing caster wheel)
- Electric servo drive, high precision differential steering
- Li-ion battery pack with capacity of 8 hours operation (robot active and doing measurements)
- Fast Box sensor chamber with foam seals, providing a well-defined measurement area without cutting into the soil
- Autonomous navigation
- Real time data monitoring
- Wide angle camera for real time monitoring of the robot surroundings
External links
Youtube video: See the robot in action
(commentary by Professor Lars Bakken, NMBU Nitrogen Group)
We are launching a new generation of field flux robots, and are searching for interested partners/customers.
See below
NEW: Field Flux Robot 2
The Field Flux Robot 2 is currently in development, and we are about to establish a consortium for building a batch to keep cost down.
We will build on the experiences gathered from using the FFR1. Two key goals for the FFR2 are Ease of Use, and Resilience.
One person should be enough to set up the robot and initiate measurements, and it should stand up to daily, practical science work in the field.Field Flux Robot 2 will have the following enhanced or new features:
- Further reduced robot weight
- Dimensions fit a standard car trailer
- Easily adjustable track width
- Modular design, easy to rig/disassemble for operation by one person
- Easy to use autonomous navigation and measurements
- Customizable battery capacity and remote status monitoring over 3G
- Anti-collision system