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A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

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Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#2
> The Grain Weevil powered by JLI Robotics is a mobile robot that scurries across the top of the grain inside of a storage bin performing tasks that no human should ever do.

This felt like a particularly strong wording. Is it due to risk of drowning in grain? Or just an annoying task?

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#4

> The Grain Weevil powered by JLI Robotics is a mobile robot that scurries across the top of the grain inside of a storage bin performing tasks that no human should ever do. This felt like a particularly strong wording. Is it due to risk of drowning in grain? Or just an annoying task?

https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/hazard...

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#5

> The Grain Weevil powered by JLI Robotics is a mobile robot that scurries across the top of the grain inside of a storage bin performing tasks that no human should ever do. This felt like a particularly strong wording. Is it due to risk of drowning in grain? Or just an annoying task?

> “After hearing some farmers talk about how they've lost a loved ones or how they themselves have gotten injured, I got really passionate about the project,” Zents says.

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#6
post #3

Crazy that this work has been done by hand. I always assumed there would be an augur or something inside.

There are augurs inside, but the grain doesn't always cooperate. Sometimes it clumps up or the augur creates a void, in which case a person has to go in and break up the clumps.

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#7
Agriculture is an area still ripe for technological innovation. It looks less and less like it did a generation ago, but there are still many dangerous tasks, like this one, involved and, I believe, many that could be made much more efficient.

I love to see projects like this making a difference for people doing critical, and often dangerous, blue collar work.

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#8

> The Grain Weevil powered by JLI Robotics is a mobile robot that scurries across the top of the grain inside of a storage bin performing tasks that no human should ever do. This felt like a particularly strong wording. Is it due to risk of drowning in grain? Or just an annoying task?

Why did they decide to name it after a horribly destructive pest that plagues owners of grain silos?

Would the Roomba have been as successful if it was named the iCockroach?

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#9

> The Grain Weevil powered by JLI Robotics is a mobile robot that scurries across the top of the grain inside of a storage bin performing tasks that no human should ever do. This felt like a particularly strong wording. Is it due to risk of drowning in grain? Or just an annoying task?

In 2019, 67 incidents of grain entrapment took place, of which 39 were fatal.

https://dailyyonder.com/grain-bin-accidents-and-deaths-risin...

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#10
post #4

> The Grain Weevil powered by JLI Robotics is a mobile robot that scurries across the top of the grain inside of a storage bin performing tasks that no human should ever do. This felt like a particularly strong wording. Is it due to risk of drowning in grain? Or just an annoying task?

https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/hazard...

> Last year, nationwide there were 38 grain entrapment cases with 23 of those leading to fatalities

https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Grain-bin-accident...

Obviously these are low numbers compared to general population, but as a share of people who would actually enter a grain bin in the first place I would guess its high enough to matter.

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