According to the National Equipment Register, $300 million to $1 billion in heavy equipment is stolen every year. Other threats such as feral hogs can rob the ag industry of $1.6 billion in a single year as well, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. However, a new four-legged, robotic companion could help solve these issues.
Taking the form of a dog, the Asylon DroneDog, a robotic and autonomous security system, is stepping up to the plate.
“They do the dull, dangerous, dirty tasks that humans don’t like to do and don’t do as well when they get mundane and repetitive,” says Dennis Crowley, chief growth officer for Asylon Robotics.
Monitoring Farms and Fields from the Palm of Your Hand
Instead of owning the robots, farmers purchase Asylon Robotics services. To put into action, the company will manually patrol a route. Once the route is established, the robot dog will autonomously monitor the area. It can also be controlled from a remote location.
Farmers have live access to whatever the dog is seeing and detecting, such as intruders, a wild animal and even damage to fences via a phone or other device. Asylon’s command center receives the same view.
“DroneDog takes advantage of the things that a traditional human can do and adds to that the capabilities of a machine,” Crowley explains. “It still requires a human in the loop on the back end who is monitoring, working and getting the information to have situational awareness and make a good decision.”
Apart from security, Crowley says the technology could potentially be used for other areas in agriculture in the future. Collaborating with farmers, he sees potential for equipment and pressure gauge inspections.
Why the Four-Legged Design Conquers Tough Terrain
Crowley explains constructing the robot in the shape of the four-legged animal has plenty of advantages. It can handle various terrain and ground materials with stability. With legs instead of wheels, it can go places where the latter cannot.
“If it does fall over, it’s able to right itself and get back up. It doesn’t need anyone to go out and help it,” he explains.
He also adds that aerial drones might not be able to get you into tight corners and spaces like the DroneDog.
How Bayer Uses DroneDog for Security Detail
Bayer Global has used DroneDogs for about two years to guard seed corn fields and equipment in Hawaii and California from human, animal and natural threats, including thieves, vandals, feral hogs, deer, flooding and wildfires.
Matthew Paschoal, corporate security lead for the western U.S. and the Pacific regions of Bayer, says the technology has been a “game-changer” as he tries to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to security.
“These dogs checked all the boxes,” he says.
One of Bayer’s sites spans 387 acres, and the DroneDog and humans split the security detail.
“It’s not a replacement; I look at it as a supplementation. It’s a force multiplier for our teams,” Paschoal explains.
This extra reinforcement allows the company to raise its patrol frequency and footprint. The DroneDog takes the graveyard shift patrolling fields in Kihei, Hawaii, after the day shift goes home, and can work 16-hour days.
Security staff can be difficult to keep because of the schedule and work itself, Paschoal shares. However, with this new technology the company does not have to worry as much when they are down employees.
“We’re able to gain efficiency by not having to rehire anybody because we have the dog,” Paschoal explains.
