THE WORLD'S MOST REMOTE ROBOT AUTOMATES AMAZON RAINFOREST REFORESTATION PROJECTS

A pilot project between ABB Robotics and the American non-profit organization Junglekeepers shows the role cloud technology can play in making reforestation faster, more efficient and more adaptable.

ABB Robotics is supporting Junglekeepers in their mission to protect 55,000 hectares of the Amazon rainforest and reverse the mass deforestation of the rainforest. In a unique concept, ABB's cobot YuMi automates planting tasks in a jungle laboratory, speeding up the process and allowing Junglekeeper volunteers to focus their valuable time and resources on more effective work.

ABB RobotStudio Cloud enables the world's most remote robot where ABB's experts simulate, refine and distribute the programming required for YuMi's tasks in the jungle, 12,000 km away in Västerås.

In a jungle laboratory in a remote region of the Peruvian Amazon, a YuMi cobot has been installed to automate important tasks in the seed planting process, which is usually a completely manual job. The cobot digs a hole in the soil, drops the seed, packs the soil on top and tags it with a colour-coded tag. YuMi enables Junglekeepers to replant an area the size of two football fields every day in zones that require replanting.




By automating this task, Junglekeeper's volunteers can simultaneously focus their valuable time and resources on more effective work, such as patrolling the area to deter illegal loggers, educating local people about rainforest conservation and planting cuttings.

Creating a connected and autonomous cobot installation also overcomes the difficulty of finding people willing to stay and work in the remote jungle. After the initial installation of YuMi, it can perform its tasks independently, with debugging if necessary.



The pilot project is supported by ABB's RobotStudio Cloud technology, which enables teams worldwide to collaborate in real time. This new way of remote programming enables new levels of flexibility and instant refinement, resulting in greater efficiency and endurance, and no loss of planting time. With more than 25 years of offline programming experience, RobotStudio offers first-class digital technology that enables 99 percent accuracy between simulation and reality. This allows users to reduce the time for testing robotic solutions by 50 percent and reduce production interruptions to zero.