Vavilov (robot)

2024: Robot Development and Application

In August 2024, it became known that a unique robot designed to detect diseases of greenhouse plants was developed and has already begun to be used in Russia. This innovative development was made possible thanks to the efforts of participants in the federal project of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia "Platform of University Technological Entrepreneurship." The new diagnostic robot, called "Vavilov," is able to significantly increase the effectiveness of monitoring and caring for plants in greenhouse farms, detecting diseases with an accuracy of more than 90% and doing it five times faster than a person.

The diagnostic robot autonomously moves around the greenhouse using a specially designed platform equipped with cameras and neural networks. The device independently examines the state of plants and promptly transmits information to the analytical system if it detects signs of disease. This system allows not only to speed up the process of detecting diseases, but also to provide round-the-clock monitoring without the need for human participation, which is an important advantage for large agricultural complexes.

Univertechpred

The development is addressed to large greenhouse farms engaged in the cultivation of vegetables and berries. At the current stage, the robot is able to diagnose diseases of tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries, but in the future it is planned to expand its functionality for working with other crops. The built-in analytical system provides the ability to track historical data and make predictions, making this development an indispensable assistant for agronomists.

According to the developers of the project, the basis for creating this system was a competition of student startups. Egor Kainov and Pavel Voronkov, being students of the 3rd year of the Timiryazev Academy, were inspired by the idea of ​ ​ participating in the competition and began work on the project. Their goal was to create a solution for the agricultural sector, and they chose the direction of AgroTech. In the development process, they used an old radio-controlled machine, which they reprogrammed to perform the tasks of the project, integrating computer vision and artificial intelligence technologies into it.^[1]

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