SeeingtheRobotsfor theTrees:AI andForestryBy Dawson Garland

Seeing the Robots for the Trees: AI and Forestr y

By Dawson Garland

Throughout the past 30 years, computers have dominated factories across the world, from helping design buildings and bridges to running factories. Without a doubt, technology will continue to advance and play a more significant role in society in ways we can? t predict. Therefore, it?s important to understand the expanding field of artificial intelligence (AI) for day-to day-life, even if it?s not directly used by the consumer but rather, for example, used to get the food on their tables cheaper or, more germane to this article, to help address ever-growing forestry problems that affect our environment. Scientists already use AI in forestry to assist with predicting the occurrence and development of forest fires and, thus, aid in theremoval of peoplefrom dangeroussituations. In 1962, a company called Unimation created the first robot named UNIMATE, and in the same year, General Motors implemented the robot in oneof itsfactories. This opened up awhole new world for companies wanting to cut production costs. In 1980, a man named Takeo Kanade designed the first motorized robotic arm, giving engineers a new idea of what robots could be used for. After many other scientists made their own additions to the original robotic arm, the first collaborative robot was created. It could rotate on 27different axes and could collaborate with four other robots.

This invention revolutionized the manufacturing world. With a new need for products to fit an evolving market also comes an agricultural need; farmers want to maximize yield for the least amount of money, and robots could provide the help needed to do so. More recently, equipment manufacturers, such as John Deere, have installed technology that provides crop water content and weight. In the early 2010s, a robot named TerraSentia, designed by a student at the University of Illinois, was used on corn to read the health, size, and even the expected yield of the plant. The robot also measured ear size and diameter, which allows scientists to breed better corn stocks that can produce more quality ears. The TerraSentia was equipped with sensors that send thousands of pulses to create a digital map of its surroundings. With just a few clicks, farmers could orient the robot to the row and begin gathering data. Although this sounds exciting, the prototype models had many design flaws, such as a lack of proper suspension, an overheating battery, and the need for the operator to walk behind it in case it gets stuck on a branch or in mud. With the robot moving at less than one mile an hour, engineers are working hard to improve every aspect of it. Dr. Chowdhary says ?A lot of people who tried the early prototypes still came back to us, even after having robots that essentially brokeon them all the time? That?show badly they needed these things.?

TerraSentia Robot

In 2050, the human population is expected to climb to 9.8 billion. Along with this comes the ever-growing presence of global warming and droughts and a limited amount of land available to farm, so finding ways to maximize yield is anecessity to provide for this growth in population. But with new technology comesaprice. For example, theprice of aTerraSentiais$5,000. Thisremains a difficult investment for many farmers who are struggling to find a market for their crops. Dr. Chowdhary hopes that with further research the robot will soon be available for $1,000. Even with this hypothetical price, many experts believe that the robot still won't be a useful investment for those with smaller-scale farms. Instead, those experts believe that the TerraSentia will help by giving scientistsinformation that allowsfor better crops. Like agriculture, forestry professionals have an increasing need to preserve and protect forests, from wildfires to bark beetles. For example, three-quarters of Finland is forest, so finding people to manage these forests has become more and more challenging. Experts in the area have started to create robots to carry out these tasks. In order to find where trees need to be taken down or treated, they must first find these places. These experts have designed adrone that uses aerial and LiDAR imagery to collect the type, size, and condition of a tree. They have also designed a robot that collects weather data and soil samples. Once this information is collected, it?s analyzed in a geographic information system (GIS) and sent to other robots to carry out the required jobs, including treetrimming and tree cutting.

LiDARForest Image

Moving across the globe to the University of Michigan, there, the robotics lab team has designed a robot, named Casie, that looks like it came right out of a Star Wars movie. Casie is designed to go where a human cannot go and see what a human cannot see. Casie can be outfitted with LiDAR sensors, which would allow it to see straight through fires and smoke. However, for thisto happen morethan $300,000 would need to be spent to rig just one robot. The exploration of AI raises many questions about whether AI belongs in a human's job, and many programs, be it private or commercial, often do not have the funds to spend on such technology. When farmers hear about new technology or equipment, they think about the benefits it could provide. Many ?AgriTech? companies are beginning to realize that for such technology to catch on, they must provethat their product will help make money. For years, people have only believed that robots belong in labs and factories and that it takes human judgment to make crucial decisions in a matter of seconds. However, scientists are breaking this norm every day and displaying that spending extra money can be beneficial. ?I think it is an interesting demonstration of the ability to get robots out of the lab and into the real world, with a view toward robots that can perform useful tasks and get humans out of harm?sway,?saysCaltech?sAaron Ames, who iscurrently working on Casie.

CasieRobot

At the end of the day, times are changing and more problems are arising. This includes the growing population, droughts, less land to farm, new diseases, and climate change, all of which make wildfires more impactful. As we have seen throughout history, when a problem arises, people find a solution. The growing use of AI in fields is morphing into a great big fix. Scientists are not just building these robots to work for large-scale farmers but also to benefit those with smaller plots of land. They are also proving to farmers who spend hard-earned money that it?s worth it. In addition, scientists can prevent diseases from spreading to a whole forest by using imagery to see which trees are dead, taking soil samples, and automating tree felling machinery, which also helps keep people safe and reduce the time it takes. With wildfires becoming a larger and larger threat, it?s becoming critically important to stop them before they spread; hence, scientists are designing robots that can see where fires come from and where they are headed, enabling firefightersto be removed from life-threatening situations.