A robot which burrows its way through bulk stores of grain to report back with data on temperature and humidity is the first farming automaton to be launched from Scotland’s new National Robotarium.

The device, designed by agri-tech developer, Crover, has in-built moisture and temperature sensors and uses two domed-shaped wheels to propel itself through grain or other material in a bulk stack.

It then feeds back analysis and data to a dashboard, giving users a more accurate understanding of the grain's condition.

Managing director of Crover, Lorenzo Conti, said the machine would save farmers time in manual sampling.

He said: “Traditional methods like spear sampling grain are time-consuming and laborious and quite often impractical and dangerous. In practice, grain storage operators are advised to sample bulk stacks at every 50cm intervals.

“The reality is that, if done manually, someone could spend the best part of a week carrying out a single store check depending on the size of their crop load. Our device is designed to be controlled from one spot and saves whoever is operating it many hours of work as well as improving accuracy.

“The robot can swim through the grain quickly generating a 3D map of temperature and moisture across the stack. This kind of insight can help farmers to better understand the condition of their grain and make informed decisions earlier like increasing ventilation or taking pest control measures.”

The National Robotarium is a £22.4m research facility which officially opened its doors in 2022 as a partnership between Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh. It works with partners around the globe to address industry challenges through the application of robotics and artificial intelligence.

Steve Maclaren, chief operating officer at the National Robotarium, said: “Innovations like Crover’s grain storage device – which could help solve a global problem for the world’s agriculture sector – are a great example of this mandate in action.”

The T-shaped robot, which is being funded by Innovate UK, Scottish Enterprise and private funders, has been designed to offer farmers better insight into the environmental conditions of grain crops, such as wheat and barley, when stored in sheds or silos.

Traditional processes for store checks, which rely on manual sampling with a spear, are often time consuming, labour intensive and potentially hazardous.

Developers say temperature and humidity have a profound impact on grain storage and can contribute to the infestation of mould or insects which cause farmers to destroy significant portions of their stored crops.

It is estimated that up to 30% of commodity grain is lost from the supply chain globally every year as a result.

UK Government Minister for Scotland, Malcolm Offord, said: "It's fantastic to see that farming and food and drink-boosting innovations like Crover's new 'grain-surfing' robot will benefit from being part of the National Robotarium.

"Projects like this demonstrate the collaborative benefits the hub is providing, with resulting economic and environmental advances delivered to the UK.

“The UK Government is supporting the National Robotarium facilities at Heriot-Watt University with £21m as part of more than £2.2bn investment to level up communities across Scotland."