CTAEX tests an AI robot dog to monitor vineyards and crops

The Centro Tecnológico Agroalimentario de Extremadura (CTAEX) is developing AGRHOUND, a quadruped robot that can move autonomously through agricultural areas and use sensors to collect data. Luis Muñoz, from CTAEX’s agricultural research and development department, told El País that the goal is to put “legs on precision agriculture,” providing information such as which areas are ready for harvesting and where samples should be taken.

The first tests are taking place in the vineyards of Bodegas Familiares Matarromera in Valladolid and in blackberry plantations under polytunnels operated by Social Berries in Huelva. According to El País and El Economista, the next stages include autonomous navigation through fields, tunnels and greenhouses, real-time spectral maps and, eventually, sample collection with a robotic arm. The project is still in its early stages and is co-financed by the European Union and Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.