Agriculture4.0 Intelligente og selvgående roboter for kostnadseffektiv frukt- og grønnsakproduksjon

The robotics team at NMBU has developed the farming robot Thorvald. The purpose of this verification project is to further develop the technology behind Thorvald and its business concept. Thorvald is still just a prototype but is has been used to perform several tests at farms. This project will prepare this technology for commercialization. First, we will develop an industrialized version of the prototype. This has started but some adjustments need to be made to prepare the robot for mass production. Second, we will perform full scale testing throughout the growth season from April through October. This is to ensure that the technology is sufficiently robust and reliable for commercialization. When performing tests at the farms we will map the efficiency of the robots, the size of the cost savings and product and process improvements in the production at the farms, and whether the robots improve farming production in other ways. Finally, we will develop an improved business plan which lays out a plan for marketing, sales and distribution of the robots and its services. Different business models will be thoroughly considered as this is a new market with numerous possibilities and pitfalls.