Jan 11, 2024
Burro Grande boosts power options
Burro has launched its most powerful labor-saving autonomous robot, the Burro Grande.
Burro Grande is designed to exceed the limits of what a farmworker can do, as a pallet-scale vehicle that can handle a 1,500-pound payload and tow up to 5,000 pounds. It features Burro Operation System Software version 5.0, enabling LiDAR-based localization for autonomous movement across indoor and outdoor operations.
All electric, the Burro Grande will carry or tow heavy loads over multiple terrains for up to 15 miles between charges. When paired with the company’s Atlas Mission Autonomy, Burro’s online route creation platform, users can construct, manage and share routes across their fleet. Whether towing, carrying or following, Burro Grande allows equipment operators to step away from the seat of a tractor or utility task vehicle, saving labor.
The company was recently honored for the third consecutive year as a 2024 World Ag Expo Top-10 New Product winner for both its Burro Grande and Atlas Mission Autonomy innovations.
Burro is the leading plug-and-play autonomous robot available that increases productivity in conventional production environments, according to a news release. It also features patent-pending Pop Up Autonomy, which means the technology works immediately out of the box and requires little training. Burro does not require centralized control or installation of burdensome infrastructure. Instead, its robots use cameras and artificial intelligence to learn and navigate autonomously while carrying loads, as well as mowers and partner technology applications, such as artificial pollinators. Burro is proven to help agricultural clients realize improvements in efficiency by up to 40%, according to the company.
“Burro Grande, slated for first deliveries in the spring, will support nursery and greenhouse operators, as well as citrus, stone fruit, table grape, blueberry, caneberry and more,” Charlie Anderson, Burro founder and CEO, said in the release. “With labor being the No. 1 challenge facing growers today, growers are in dire need of autonomous solutions to help their businesses survive.
“Releasing this ground-breaking robot to market means that growers have a proven, viable alternative to increasingly expensive and scarce workforce options,” he said in the release.
Two significant operational challenges facing the agriculture industry today are an unprecedented shortage of laborers and reliance on conveyor belts, which help to move plants from one site to another or to perform small-batch work. Conveyor belts are heavy, cumbersome and can pose an injury risk to workers during set-up and break-down.
All Burro robots mitigate labor shortages by enabling force multiplication of workers and taking on the burden of carrying and towing heavy loads, while also boosting profitability. Burro is one of only a few autonomous robotic solutions available for this purpose, according to the company. In addition to its products recently achieving the milestone of traveling 75,000 autonomous miles, the company also has hundreds of robots actively deployed around the world in support of farms, greenhouses and nurseries.
