Corteva Showcases New Robotic Technology In The Field

Meet “Annie.” This robot being used by Corteva Agriscience is the result of a partnership with Boston Dynamics and Trimble.

The robot is one of Boston Dynamics’ Spot series, which can “walk” between the rows of crops in a field. Corteva is using the robot in field testing of new seed–with all of its data collection capabilities, the robot can be a tool in phenotyping. And the company aims to use it in research and development of new crop protection molecules. Trimble systems power the autonomous navigation.

“Annie’s proximal sensing capabilities and ability to execute specific actions at a certain plot or by individual plant will help us challenge assumptions about the way things are done,” Geoff Graham, leader of seed product development for Corteva Agriscience said in a company news release. “The ability to leverage an autonomous robot to navigate row crop fields, while carrying and pulling instruments to collect data or apply chemicals more efficiently, has tremendous potential as we push the boundaries of what we can deliver to farmers.”

The company’s name for Annie (short for Anatoly) was inspired by Pioneer founder Henry A Wallace’s Anatolian Shepherd dogs.