Robotics may be the answer to US labor shortage

A researcher at Georgia Tech discussed creating a robot that can manage a commercial chicken house to minimize human workload and gather data.

This robot is intended to help commercial poultry operations assess equipment, remove floor eggs, recognize mortality and give a qualitative analysis of birds and the environment. | Georgia Tech Research Institute
This robot is intended to help commercial poultry operations assess equipment, remove floor eggs, recognize mortality and give a qualitative analysis of birds and the environment. | Georgia Tech Research Institute

Using robotics in commercial broiler chicken houses that have thousands of birds is proving to increase efficiency and accuracy in the daily care of these birds, according to research scientist Colin Usher.

Why it matters: Robots can assess equipment, remove floor eggs, recognize mortality and give a qualitative analysis of birds and the environment. Labor needs are minimized, and employee turnover is improved. Robotics can also help biosecurity practices by mitigating cross-contamination from human entrance.

What it costs: Over the last couple of years, the cost of robotics has come down substantially, said Usher at WATT Global Media’s inaugural Poultry Tech Summit in Atlanta, Georgia. “There probably isn’t a farmer out there that is going to spend $60,000 to put a robot in their chicken houses; it just doesn’t make any sense. It hopefully hits a price point that is attractive to farmers,” he said.

Usher started his work in robotics with a feasibility study using manually controlled robots that operate on the floor of the poultry house and can move in the litter. His thought process was, if a system can’t move through the birds manually, then why spend the money to automate it? He concluded that robot interaction is not detrimental to a chicken’s well-being, and the system had no trouble moving around various sizes of birds.

 

Key attributes of the robot:

  • Uses a localization system containing sensors
  • Remembers where it has been and executes searches
  • Measures humidity, floor moisture, temperature, light levels and gasses
  • Detects objects
  • It can compute locations of 3-D objects so it knows where to pick up eggs

Another angle: Cargill recently took an off-the-shelf robot and redesigned it to drive cattle in the holding pens at processing plants. The redesign was done in hopes of minimizing the number of employees who would have to work with what can be dangerous cattle. This robot is operated manually and allows management to move cattle without being close enough to risk any harm.

Go deeper: Just what can a robot do in a broiler house?

Make connections: Learn more about innovative technologies for the poultry industry by registering for Poultry Tech Summit, November 20-22, in Atlanta, Georgia.

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