Innovative Robot Patrols Dutch Coast to Eliminate Disease in Vibrant Tulip FieldsRevolutionary Robot Theo Protects Dutch Tulip Fields from Devastating Virus. Credit: techxplore.com

Despite the arduous nature of the work, Theo never complains about the strain on his back as he tirelessly works weekdays, weekends, and night shifts. He is a valuable member of the team at WAM Pennings farm near the Dutch coast, which has now introduced a new weapon in their fight against disease in their vibrant tulip fields.

On a breezy morning in spring, the cutting-edge robot, affectionately named after the retired employee Theo, trudged through rows of colorful "goudstuk" tulips. Its primary task was to inspect each plant and eliminate any diseased bulbs that could potentially spread the tulip-breaking virus. The infected bulbs are carefully removed from the healthy ones in a sorting warehouse after the harvesting process.

This virus is known to stunt the growth and development of plants, resulting in smaller and weaker flowers. It also weakens the bulbs, rendering them unable to bloom in the future. To combat this issue, 45 robots have been deployed across the Netherlands to patrol tulip fields as the weather warms up and the peak season approaches, attracting tourists from all over the world to witness the stunning display.

In the past, this work was carried out by human "sickness spotters," explained Allan Visser, a third-generation tulip farmer utilizing the robot for the second consecutive growing season. "For the price of the robot, you could buy a fancy sports car," he said. "But I'd rather invest in something that can eliminate sick tulips from our fields. The price may be high, but there are fewer and fewer people who can accurately spot the sick flowers."

The robot may not be as fast as a sports car, but it moves along on caterpillar tracks at a speed of one kilometer per hour, carefully scanning for the telltale red stripes that indicate an infected flower. "It has front-facing cameras that take thousands of pictures of the tulips. These images are then analyzed by an AI model to determine if the flower is diseased or not," Visser explained, referring to it as "precision agriculture." "The robot has been trained to recognize and treat the virus effectively," he added.

Erik de Jong, the founder of H2L Robotics, the company responsible for manufacturing these robots, highlighted the role of artificial intelligence in identifying and targeting sick flowers with pinpoint accuracy using GPS coordinates. "The AI model is at the heart of the machine, and we have incorporated the knowledge of tulip farmers to make it effective," he said.

Theo van der Voort, the retired employee who gave his name to the robot at WAM Pennings farm, is impressed with its abilities. "It's remarkable," he commented. "It can see just as much as I can."

Alton Shaffer
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