Tree to Tree robot

Tree to Tree - a remote controlled prime mover for forest  management by Scion, FPInnovations & inFact.

inFact have developed in collaboration with Scion scientists and      
FPInnovations, a heavy-duty remotely controlled robot capable of moving  from tree to tree to carry out forest thinning operations safely, in difficult to access areas.

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Scion’s scientists have proven that a free standing, two-armed robot can  successfully support it’s own weight and move from tree stem to tree  stem.  The challenge, for inFact, was to develop a ruggedised functional robot that could be manufactured for large scale deployment in the world’s forests.

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Researchers are using this to advance the technology used in forestry to  promote safety and forest management in hard to reach places.

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The collaboration is now looking at securing the next round of funding  to commercialise the product and establish channel partners and  manufacturing capability.
 

LISTEN

Scion and FPInnovations  engaged inFact to translate  general requirements for  performance and functionality  into the existing robot  prototype, enabling it to cut  down trees and demonstrate  to prospective stakeholders the  benefits and advantages of the  tree robot.

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inFact worked with Scion  and FPInnovations to define  a development plan and  requirements specification to  attract funding and market  engagement for this project.
 

THINK

inFact engineers researched and  experimented with a variety of  approaches to resolve key technical and  engineering challenges, including solving  load bearing equations to ensure weight  to strength ratio is optimised.

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Our engineers implemented compliant  joints to manipulate tree angles and  added a battery powered forest  deployable chainsaw to cut down trees  during demonstrations.

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The control system was upgraded to  provide an industry standard bus that,  will in future connect to industrial grade  actuators and control interfaces.

OUTCOME

The Tree to Tree robot is  now validated as a feasible  mechanical engineering
concept, fit for purpose robot  for the forestry environment.

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The design incorporates  standard technology typically  used in forestry equipment  manufacturing, so that the  device can be translated into known manufacturing  environments.