The world’s most remote robot is automating reforestation projects in the Amazon rainforest

• Pilot project between ABB Robotics and nonprofit organization Junglekeepers shows potential of robotics and cloud technology to reverse the collective impact of rainforests
• Using solar energy, YuMi® automates seed planting, making reforestation in the Amazon faster, more efficient and more adaptive
• The project is made possible by RobotStudio® Cloud; Where ABB experts simulate, optimize and deploy real-time robot programming 12,000 km away in Västerås, Sweden

A pilot project between ABB Robotics and the US nonprofit organization Junglekeepers shows the role cloud technology can play in making reforestation faster, more efficient and more adaptive.

ABB Robotics supports the Junglekeepers in their mission to protect 55,000 hectares of the Amazon rainforest and reverse rainforest deforestation. In a unique concept, ABB’s YuMi cobot automates farming tasks in the Jungle Lab, speeding up the process and allowing Junglekeeper volunteers to focus their valuable time and resources on more efficient work.

ABB RobotStudio Cloud enables the world’s most remote robot in which ABB experts simulate, optimize and distribute the programming required for YuMi missions in the jungle, 12,000 km away in Västerås.

said Sami Attia, business area manager for ABB Robotics and Discrete Automation. “Our pilot program with the world’s largest remote-controlled robot helps automate highly repetitive tasks, freeing up volunteers time to do more important work in the rainforest and helping them preserve the land they live on.”

In a jungle lab in a remote part of the Peruvian Amazon, a YuMi cobot was installed to automate important tasks in the seed-growing process, which would normally be an entirely manual task. The cobot digs a hole in the soil, drops the seed, packs the soil on top and marks it with a color-coded marker. YuMi Junglekeepers enables the replanting of an area the size of two football fields per day in areas that require replanting.

By automating this task, Junglekeeper volunteers can simultaneously focus their valuable time and resources on more efficient work, such as patrolling the area to deter illegal loggers, and educating locals about rainforest preservation and planting cuttings.

Creating a connected, standalone cobot installation also overcomes the difficulty of finding people willing to stay and work in the remote forest. After the initial installation of YuMi, it can perform its tasks independently, correcting errors if necessary.

“Right now, we’ve lost 20 percent of the total area of ​​the Amazon rainforest; without today’s technology, conservation would stop working,” said Mushin Kazmi, co-founder of Junglekeepers. “Having YuMi on our base is a great way to expose our Rangers to new ways of doing things. It speeds up and expands our operations and advances our mission.”

The destruction of the Amazon rainforest through human impacts such as deforestation and burning to clear land for agriculture contribute to the devastating effects of climate change. It is estimated that more than 870,000 square kilometers of the Amazon rainforest have been cleared since 1985, an area larger than France, Great Britain and Belgium combined. With tens of billions of trees gone, the region is warming at a rapid pace.

“The Amazon rainforest is in danger. That’s why we need technology, science and local knowledge to work together to save it. Otherwise, it will be too late. The rainforest can be saved, but we need to bring all of these elements together to create the difference,” says Denise del Castillo-Torres, Director Forest management research at the Peruvian Amazon Research Institute. “It is very important to have a mix of advanced conservation technologies and practices. There are many technologies that we can use to preserve the forest, and this robot can be very useful in reforestation faster, but we have to be very selective. We need to use it.” In areas of high deforestation to speed up the reforestation process.”

The pilot project is powered by ABB’s RobotStudio Cloud technology, which enables teams around the world to collaborate in real time. This new method of remote programming allows new levels of flexibility and instant optimization, resulting in increased efficiency and endurance, and no lost farming time. With over 25 years of offline programming experience, RobotStudio offers first-class digital technology that allows for 99 percent accuracy between simulation and reality. This allows users to reduce testing time for automated solutions by 50 percent and reduce production interruption to zero.

The ABB Robotics Amazon pilot project advances the company’s goal of contributing to a sustainable transition through intelligent robotics and automation solutions, which help companies increase productivity, reduce waste, and increase efficiency. In 2022, ABB Robotics has partnered with the Parley Global Cleanup Network, a nonprofit organization that collects marine plastic waste, to create custom design objects like upcycled furniture using 3D printing. As per Junglekeeper’s wishes, the pilot project in the rainforest with RobotStudio Cloud and YuMi will run for about six weeks (during May-June 2023). After the pilot program ends, ABB will explore opportunities to assist Junglekeepers on a more holistic basis, as well as explore further opportunities for its robotics solutions and cloud technology to play a central role in driving a sustainable transition.

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

ABB robotics and discrete automation is one of the world’s leading robotics and machine automation companies and the only company with a comprehensive and integrated suite of robotics, autonomous mobile robots and machine automation solutions, designed and controlled by our value-added software. We help companies of all sizes and industries – from automotive to electronics and logistics – to become more agile, agile and efficient. ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation supports customers in moving to the connected, collaborative factory of the future. The Business District employs approximately 11,000 people at more than 100 locations in approximately 53 countries. go.abb/robotics

About Junglekeepers

Junglekeepers is an American nonprofit organization that works with international experts and local communities to protect the Amazon rainforest and stop deforestation. For more than two years, they have been protecting the land, stopping illegal logging and documenting a number of unique species endemic to the Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon. Within the current boundaries of the Reserve protected by the Junglekeepers, they have seen the incidence of illegal logging drop by more than 90 percent and the incidence of illegal land acquisition nearly to zero.

Note: This is a Swedish translation of ABB’s English-language press release dated June 13, and can be read in full at abb.com/news. If questions about interpretation arise, the press release in English will apply.