ABB Robotics and Junglekeepers Launch Innovative Project: Cloud-Enabled Robot Automates Amazon Reforestation

ABB Robotics and Junglekeepers Launch Innovative Project: Cloud-Enabled Robot Automates Amazon Reforestation

(IN BRIEF) ABB Robotics and Junglekeepers have partnered in a pilot project to automate reforestation efforts in the Amazon using Cloud technology. ABB’s cobot YuMi has been deployed to automate seed planting tasks, allowing volunteers to focus on other impactful work. The cobot operates in a remote Peruvian Amazon lab, autonomously digging holes, planting seeds, and marking them with color-coded tags. The project demonstrates the potential for automation to make reforestation faster and more scalable. ABB’s RobotStudio Cloud technology enables remote programming and collaboration, making YuMi the world’s most remote robot. The initiative aims to combat deforestation and contribute to sustainable transformation through intelligent robotics and automation solutions.

(PRESS RELEASE) ZURICH, 13-Jun-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — ABB (SWX: ABBN), a Swedish–Swiss multinational company leader in robotics, power, heavy electrical equipment, and automation, announces a groundbreaking collaboration between ABB Robotics and US non-profit organization Junglekeepers is transforming the landscape of reforestation in the Amazon. Through the utilization of Cloud technology, the pilot project demonstrates the immense potential for automation to expedite and scale up reforestation efforts, with ABB’s cobot YuMi leading the way as the world’s most remote robot.

As part of its commitment to protect 55,000 acres of Amazon rainforest and combat deforestation, Junglekeepers has partnered with ABB Robotics in an unprecedented initiative. In an exceptional demonstration, ABB’s cobot YuMi has been deployed in a jungle laboratory, automating essential tasks in the seed planting process. By accelerating the planting process, YuMi allows Junglekeepers’ dedicated volunteers to allocate their time and resources to more impactful endeavors.

Using ABB RobotStudio Cloud technology, ABB experts are able to simulate, refine, and deploy programming for YuMi’s tasks remotely from Västerås, Sweden – a staggering distance of 12,000 kilometers (7,460 miles). This remarkable achievement enables YuMi to operate as the world’s most remote robot, revolutionizing reforestation efforts in the Peruvian Amazon.

“ABB’s collaboration with Junglekeepers demonstrates how robotics and Cloud technology can play a central role in fighting deforestation as one of the major contributors to climate change”, said Sami Atiya, President of ABB Robotics and Discrete Automation. “Our pilot program with the world’s most remote robot is helping automate highly repetitive tasks, freeing up rangers to undertake more important work out in the rainforest and helping them to conserve the land they live on.”

Installed within a jungle laboratory in a remote region of the Peruvian Amazon, YuMi cobot autonomously carries out crucial tasks that were previously manually performed. It digs holes in the soil, plants seeds, compacts the soil, and marks each planted seed with a color-coded tag. YuMi’s contribution empowers Junglekeepers to replant an area equivalent to two soccer fields on a daily basis in regions requiring reforestation.

Automation of these tasks allows Junglekeepers’ volunteers to focus their invaluable time and resources on more impactful activities, such as patrolling the area to discourage illegal logging, educating local communities about rainforest preservation, and planting mature saplings.

Moreover, the deployment of a fully remote and autonomous cobot overcomes the challenge of finding willing workers for the remote jungle location. Once installed, YuMi operates autonomously, requiring minimal troubleshooting as needed.

“As of right now, we have lost 20 percent of the total area of Amazon rainforest; without using technology today, conservation will be at a standstill,” said Moshin Kazmi, Co-Founder of Junglekeepers. “Having Yumi at our base is a great way to expose our rangers to new ways of doing things.  It accelerates and expands our operations and advances our mission.”

The destruction of the Amazon rainforest due to human activities like logging and land clearing for agriculture has significantly contributed to the adverse impacts of climate change. Since 1985, an estimated area larger than France, the United Kingdom, and Belgium combined, surpassing 870,000 km², has been cleared, leading to rapid regional warming and the loss of billions of trees.

“The Amazon is in danger. That’s why we need technology, science and local knowledge to work together in order to save it. Otherwise, we will be too late. The rainforest can be saved, but we must bring together all these elements to make a difference,” said Dennis del Castillo Torres, Director of Forest Management Research at the Peruvian Amazon Research Institute. “It is very important to have a combination of high technology and conservation. There are many technologies that we can use to preserve the forest, and this robot can help a lot to reforest faster, but we have to be very selective. We have to use it in areas of high deforestation to speed up the process of replanting.”

Supported by ABB’s RobotStudio Cloud technology, the pilot project enables real-time collaboration among global teams. This innovative remote programming approach enhances flexibility, enables instant refinement, and ensures no loss of planting time, resulting in heightened efficiency and resilience. With over 25 years of experience in offline programming, RobotStudio offers state-of-the-art digital technology, guaranteeing 99 percent accuracy between simulation and reality. This allows users to reduce testing time for robotic solutions by 50 percent and eliminate production downtimes.

ABB Robotics’ pilot project in the Amazon aligns with its mission to drive sustainable transformation through intelligent robotics and automation solutions. By supporting businesses in increasing productivity, reducing waste, and maximizing efficiency, ABB Robotics contributes to a sustainable future. In 2022, ABB collaborated with the Parley Global Cleanup network to create personalized designer items from recycled marine plastic waste using 3D additive printing.

The pilot scheme in the rainforest, implemented with RobotStudio Cloud and YuMi, will span approximately six weeks from May to June 2023, in line with the aspirations of Junglekeepers. Following the conclusion of the pilot program, ABB will explore extended collaboration opportunities with Junglekeepers and investigate further ways in which its robotic solutions and cloud technologies can play a pivotal role in driving sustainable transformation.

ABB is a technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-​efficient future. The company’s solutions connect engineering know-how and software to optimize how things are manufactured, moved, powered, and operated. Building on more than 130 years of excellence, ABB’s ~105,000 employees are committed to driving innovations that accelerate industrial transformation. www.abb.com

ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation, as one of the world’s leading robotics and machine automation suppliers, is the only company with a comprehensive and integrated portfolio covering robots, Autonomous Mobile Robots and machine automation solutions, designed and orchestrated by our value-creating software. We help companies of all sizes and sectors – from automotive to electronics and logistics – become more resilient, flexible and efficient. ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation supports customers in the transition towards the connected and collaborative factory of the future. The business area employs approximately 11,000 people at over 100 locations in approximately 53 countries. go.abb/robotics

About Junglekeepers
Junglekeepers is a US non-profit organization that works with international experts and local communities to protect the Amazon rainforest and reverse deforestation. For more than two years they have been protecting the land, pushed back on illegal logging, documenting a number of unique species endemic in the Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon. Within the current boundaries of the reserve protected by Junglekeepers, they have seen incidents of illegal logging drop by over 90% and incidents of illegal land acquisition drop to almost zero.

¹ World Economic Forum, 2023

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SOURCE: ABB